


Kuroshitsuji: The Book of Pawns

by etherealcosmos



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, Mystery, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-05-14 19:44:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 36,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5755909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etherealcosmos/pseuds/etherealcosmos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When targeted at a party by the legendary Queen's Raven, a girl known to assassinate disloyal nobles of Queen Victoria, Ciel must team up with the fiery Claire Benoit, the mysterious noble assigned by the Queen to protect him and act as his very own guard. But there's seems to be more to Claire than meets the eye...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

The soft clap of short heels echoed down the vast hallway as a lone petite figure walked briskly down the expensive carpet. She was cloaked entirely with black, with a dark veil obscuring her face. The girl stopped in front of one of the main doors by which two guards were standing. One guard looked down at her and said harshly, “State your business.”

The girl stood straighter, and the guard was sure she had an offended look of her face. Carefully, she pulled a piece of parchment from her dress pocket and handed it to the guard. He read over it carefully and his eyes widened with shock, and then fear as he looked at the girl again. With shaking hands did he hand it back to her and quickly allowed her access. The girl felt smug.

  
The guards opened the door for the girl, and she stepped into the room. It was a quaint, small room with large windows that let light in from every corner; this unnerved the girl. Set up on an elegant embroidered carpet was a small table and two chairs, one of the seats being occupied. The person occupying the chair looked over when the girl entered, and she smiled. “You have arrived early,” Queen Victoria said, “Come, sit down.”

  
The cloaked figure walked to the chair across from the Queen and gracefully sat down. “You have summoned me, Your Majesty?” she asked, her voice a quiet whisper.

  
Victoria knitted her fingers together and continued smiling. “Is there something wrong with wanting to see one of my favorite nobles?”

  
The girl laughed softly, “Of course not, My Queen. But in all honesty, why have you called for me? I know that you know that I have very much work to do at the manor already. Could this be...?”

  
“Another one of your missions? Yes,” Victoria finished, “It has been a while since the last one, but this time it has to be you, my little Raven.  
“Do you know of a noble by the name of Ciel Phantomhive?” The queen asked.

  
“I do know of him, yet never met him personally. Liesel loves Funtom candy, and she always wants to buy it.” The Raven girl replied, smiling a little to herself.

  
“Ah, little Liesel, I know how much she loves her Funtom lollipops.” The queen laughed, but not a few seconds afterward did she turn somber again, “It is too bad she may not be able to have them anymore.”

  
“Ah... so he is my next mission, I presume?” the cloaked girl asked, “You've been keeping me quite busy lately, Your Majesty.”

  
“With good reason. But this... this is an interesting case. Ciel was one of my favorites. The Queen’s Guard Dog, who always does as the Queen asks. Well, up until his last few missions...  
“I gave him an assignment, about children going missing a while ago. I ordered him to find out who was doing this and put an end to it. And he did almost exactly that.” Victoria looked at her hands and said in a sorrowful tone, “Until he burned down the mansion with the children still inside. ‘The children couldn’t be saved,’ he said. As punishment for this, I had him host a party at which Charles Grey would kill Georg Von Siemens and frame Ciel as a punishment for the children. But Siemens was not the only one killed, another man was killed by a poisonous snake, and at first, his butler Sebastian Michaelis too. The murder then was blamed on another man, and the punishment inadequate.  And the most recent one, I asked him to go to Germany to learn more about the mysterious poisonous fog, and he apparently found a brilliant young girl there. I know she has a secret formula to a deadly poison, and I want it. But the young earl does not want to tell me these things…”

  
“You were truly hesitant on calling this one, Your Majesty." The girl said, folding her hands in her lap, "But this mission will be completed soon."

  
“Thank you, little Raven,” Victoria whispered, a smile coming to her face. “Now, you must go. You know how Liesel gets when you leave for a long time. Let's have tea together another day."


	2. Chapter 1

Ciel looked out the window of the carriage with a bored expression on his face, his head in his gloved hand. The earl was one his way to a ball that Lizzy had wanted him to go to; though at first, he didn’t. “C’mon, Ciel! It’ll be fun-- Trust me!” she had said. Of course, Ciel couldn’t really deny her, when her brother was standing only a few feet away with the coldest glare the poor boy had ever seen. “S-Sure,” he’d replied shakily.

  
Now, he was sitting in a carriage with Sebastian across from him. The butler was simply staring at the wall in front of him, his face expressionless. He glanced over at Ciel, and his lips tugged slightly. “We haven’t even gotten there and you already looked bored.” Ciel huffed. “I don’t understand why she was so persistent on getting me to this ball. I hardly go to any of the others.”

  
“It has been a long time since you last saw her. When was it--? When we were training Sieglinde and she ran into your awkward situation?”

  
Ciel made an awfully sour face as he recalled the memory. “I thought we agreed never to speak about it again.”

  
The carriage pulled up in front of the mansion of whoever was holding the party, and the chauffeur opened the door. Sebastian got out first, and lent Ciel his hand as the boy stepped out. Not two seconds later, a blur of blonde tackle-hugged him and exclaimed, “CIEELLL~!!”

  
“H-Hi, Lizzie...” he groaned, feeling his ribs being crushed. He sucked in a deep breath when the girl let go of him. “You made it! I’m so happy!” She pulled him into another bone-crushing hug before grabbing his hand. “The others are inside already. Let’s go!”

  
The interior of the mansion was absolutely stunning. Large, exquisite paintings decorated the ceiling and walls. The floor was made of of beautiful stone tiles, on which people dancing gracefully. The ballroom was made of color, from the women's’ dresses to the intricate gold molding on the walls. Lively waltz music was being played by a small band in the corner. Ciel saw Edward dancing with a stranger, a girl maybe about the same age as him, with black curly hair and a navy blue dress. Lizzie waved at him and the older boy looked over at them. He turned to the girl again and bowed to. She curtsied back, and watched him walk away.

  
But suddenly, when she noticed Ciel, her eyes turned dark and cold. She turned sharply and walked through the crowd. He thought he saw her pull something that shone in the light out of her dress pocket, but that might have been the trick of the eyes. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the girl.

  
“So... the Phantomhive made it.” Edward said as he crossed his arms.

  
“Of course I would. I wouldn’t miss a dance with Lizzie, would I?” Ciel said tauntingly, a small smirk forming on his face.

  
“Well, I still get the first dance!” Edward said, his face turning red. “Oh, would you two relax?” Lizzie said as she got between them. “Of course you can have the first dance, Edward-- Oh, do you mind, Ciel?” The girl’s emerald eyes turned worried as she looked at her fiance.

  
Ciel shook his head. “Not at all. You go and dance with your brother.” She squealed excitedly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Edward led his sister to the dance floor and music began to play.

  
Meanwhile, Ciel and Sebastian took their place beside the wall and watched. Lizzie looked like she was really enjoying herself as she danced, a big smile on her face. Ciel couldn’t help but grin a little to himself. Sebastian glanced at him through the corner of his eye. “I thought you said this dance would be boring.” he commented.

  
“Well... Maybe not so much.” Ciel leaned up against the wall. “Lizzie surely is happy right now. That’s a good thing.”

  
“Still, that girl that was dancing with Edward before-- Who was she?” Sebastian asked.

  
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen a noble who looked like her before." Ciel shrugged.

 

"Then it is strange that she would give you such a look. So full of hatred..."

 

The earl looked up at the butler and saw his unnerved expression on his face. "Relax, Sebastian, nothing bad can happen here. If someone were to attack, it would not be in the middle of a party like this." Sebastian nodded, but he still was on guard.

 

"Ciel!" Lizzy called as she walked back with her brother from the dance floor. She was all smiles as she said, "It's your turn~!" He sighed deeply and got up from his position to take her outstretched hand. Her eyes were shining as he led her to the middle of the dance floor and placed his other hand on her waist. The music began a light and cheerful melody and they moved to each note. Lizzy giggled as Ciel lifted her once into the air and twirled her, letting her bright green skirt fan out around her.

 

"You've gotten much better at dancing, Ciel!" She said as she turned to face him again.

 

"T-Thank you," Ciel replied, slightly annoyed at the comment.

 

"Say, why have you suddenly gotten so much free time lately, Ciel? I remember where there was hardly a time you weren't on one of your Watch Dog missions..." The blonde asked, her eyebrows knitting together in worry and confusion.

 

"I'm not sure, Lizzy. The Queen has not given me on for a while." He grinned as he said, "Though, I'm surprised you're complaining. I thought you would be happy you could see me more often."

 

"I am, I am! It just seems strange, don't you think?" The music ended with that last word, and they bowed to each other. "I'm going to go get some tarts. Would you like one, Ciel?" she asked.

 

"Sure," Ciel said, and she ran off into the crowd. The boy made his way back to where the butler was still standing by the wall, now with with a woman trying to flirt with him. Sebastian politely turned her away as soon as he noticed Ciel, and she sulked back into the crowd.

 

"You seemed to enjoy yourself out there." he said as soon as Ciel was within earshot.

 

"Please," Ciel replied, crossing his arms, "Dancing is hardly enjoyable for me."

 

"Yes, but seeing Lizzy happy is apparently." Ciel scowled at him.

 

"Though she did mention something interesting," the boy said, turning to look at her as she chatting away with another girl. Oddly enough, Ciel thought she looked like the girl from before. He continued, "She noted that the Queen hasn't given me a mission recently, and I found it rather odd too."

 

"Yes," Sebastian commented, "It is curious that the Queen would go for such a length of time before giving you another mission. I wonder if she has something big planned for you soon."

 

"Well, hopefully soon is not too far away, because it's beginning to get unnervin-" Ciel didn't get to finish his sentence as the sudden whistle of a knife sounded right beside his ear and he jumped. The harsh gleam of a dagger shone out of the corner of his eye. Someone had tried to assassinate him.


	3. Chapter 2

For a moment, the entire party was silent. Everyone’s eyes were on that single dagger lodged at least an inch deep into the wall. Ciel was holding his breath. Lizzy gazed on in horror, a similar expression on her brother’s face. Even Sebastian’s eyes were wide with shock.

  
Then, a woman screamed, and the party erupted into chaos.

  
People trampled over one another to run to the exit, others swept up with them. Screams echoed off the walls, and the sound of pounding feet was deafening to anyone’s ears. People cried out as they tripped and were stepped on by heels of the women. The look of panic on everyone’s faces could have been matched to an animal’s in the face of a gun. A child’s waking up from the purest, most terrifying nightmare. “Ciel!! CIEL!!” Lizzy shrieked amidst the chaos, but she too was swept up in the crowd with Edward.  
Meanwhile, Ciel and Sebastian stayed where they were. The butler scouted the area above for any sign of the assassin, and quickly spotted someone crouched in the open window up near the ceiling wearing a black cloak and an iron mask. Ciel roughly pulled the knife out of the wall, and examined it.

  
Both their faces paled drastically when they realized who exactly the assassin was on this night.

  
There is a legend, a legend of a personal assassin of the Queen’s choosing. She is called the Queen’s Raven. If nobles are considered disloyal to the Queen, or found to be conspiring against her, the Raven disposes of them before they have any chance with her specialty poisoned knives. There are always certain markings on them. The hilt is shaped like a raven with its wings outstretched. The Raven is always a girl, and she is chosen by the Queen herself. She is ruthless, a killer in the night. And there are never. Any. Survivors.

  
“Sebastian, get the Raven! That’s an order!” Ciel commanded sharply.

  
Sebastian smirked, never taking his eyes off the girl in the window. “Yes, my Lord.”

  
A cheshire grin formed on the girl’s face, and she jumped from the window. She landed and did a barrel roll as Sebastian ran at her, with his classic kitchen knives in his hands. The girl stayed crouched for a moment and pulled out two knives of her own. She collided with Sebastian, and a furious battle sparked between them. Though fighting with a human was easy to any demon, Sebastian couldn’t help but marvel at the surprising speed and strength this girl had. She fought like... well, a demon. With quick stabs and graceful dodges, it was almost like she was dancing around him rather than trying to kill him. Once or twice, Sebastian would have to duck to escape being kicked in the face. That was when he began to notice how surprisingly small she was. She couldn’t have been more that 4’9” at most. What kind of training exactly did this girl go through to be this flexible?

  
Just as he was pondering the thought, he didn’t even notice when she dove underneath him, sliding between his legs. He turned quickly to see her running to the window. She was escaping!

  
“Stop!” Ciel shouted, pulling out a gun he was hiding underneath his coat, and he shot at her. The bullet missed her by mere inches, instead flying over her head and into the wall. The Raven froze, slowly turning her head to gaze at him. Ciel faltered for a second. Never, in anyone’s life, had he ever seen such a look of pure hatred and rage on someone’s face. When he hesitated, the Raven quickly jumped from the windowsill. Ciel ran over to the window to look out, but he saw nothing but trees and bushes. She was gone, just like that. A mere wisp on the wind.

  
Sebastian walked over to stand beside him while Ciel glared angrily out the window. “Damn!” The young lord cursed, slamming his fist down on the windowsill. “What did I do?!”  
“Perhaps, this might involve the case of the missing children, my Lord...” Sebastian offered, “Or perhaps the Sulin…”

  
Ciel’s one blue eye widened, and he swore under his breath. “I told the Queen what happened with the children! Why didn’t she believe me?”

  
“You’re bleeding.” Sebastian said suddenly. Indeed, the young lord was; apparently the knife hadn’t missed entirely. Sebastian knelt down a pulled out a handkerchief, ignoring Ciel’s protests. “I’m honestly amazed she did not hit you directly. Her accuracy is infamous.”

  
“Yes, well, you would’ve protected me anyway.” Ciel said, an irritable frown on his face and Sebastian cleaned his cheek.

  
“Do you wish to depart home now? I doubt the Raven will be returning anytime soon.”

  
“Yes, let’s go home." Ciel replied, brushing Sebastian’s hand and the handkerchief away. He strode to the carriage and Sebastian opened the door for him.

 

"Ciel!" Another voice called out. The boy turned to see Lizzy and Edward running toward him, Lizzy with tears in her eyes. She sobbed as she pulled him into a hug. "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

 

"What the hell was that back there?" Edward demanded as Ciel patted Lizzy on the back.

 

"That was the Queen's Raven, My Lord," Sebastian said, and the blonde boy growled.

 

"That damned Raven... She had no right to try and assassinate my Lizzy's fiance, not matter how much I hate him!" Ciel muttered a sarcastic 'thanks' under his breath.

 

"Well, as long as you're safe now," Lizzy said, cupping his cheek with one hand. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked around. "Wait a minute... Where's...?"

 

"Where's who?" Ciel asked.

 

"Claire..." Lizzy said absentmindedly as she pulled away from Ciel to get a better view.

 

"That's odd, I could've sworn she would've been right behind us.."

 

"Who's Claire?" Lizzy looked at him again and blinked twice. "Oh well... Nothing, nobody, it's fine. I'm sure she's alright on her own."

 

Ciel stared at her for another second before saying to Sebastian, "Well, I think it's time to be off. Hopefully those three idiots won't be too worried by the time we get home." .  
.

 

.

 

.

 

“YOUNG MASTER!!!!”

 

“LORD CIEL, ARE YA HURT?!?!”

  
“PLEASE TELL ME YOU’RE ALRIGHT!!”

  
Mey-Rin, Finnian, and Bard all burst out the door when Ciel arrived home at the mansion. The three servants started asking millions of questions at once, until Ciel yelled, “THAT’S ENOUGH.” The trio quieted down. “What... in God’s name are you three talking about?” Ciel asked, his voice harsh and demanding while he rubbed his temple.

  
“W-We heard about the party, yes!” Mey-Rin answered.

  
“How?”

  
“This freaky lookin’ girl just randomly showed up at the door,” Bard answered, scratching his head, “Said she had some business with you from the Queen.”

  
“She was really scary!” Finny whined.

  
“Alright, let me see what this is all about.” Ciel said, making his way up to the door.

  
He threw open the great mansion doors, anger growing every second. As soon as he looked up he saw her. A statuesque figure poised perfectly at the top of the staircase, looking up at the portrait of his father and mother. Since her back was facing him, he could only see tumbles of black curly hair, and a very familiar navy blue dress. “Who are you?! And I demand to know what you are doing here!” Ciel said, his voice rising with each word and he made his way up until he was at the base of the staircase. The figure did not move for a moment. Her posture was so perfectly still one might have though she were carved from stone, until she slowly turned to face him. “I see the Earl Phantomhive has finally returned.” she said, her voice holding a faint French accent.

  
Her face came into view, and Ciel’s anger seemed to hiccup in response.

 

It was the girl from the ball, the one that was dancing with Edward before storming off!

  
Now that she was closer, he could finally make out her features, and the servants weren’t kidding when they said she was scary. Her features were sharp, from her cheekbones to her nose, and down to her chin. Her eyes were curved so that she looked like she was staring a person down even when she was smiling. The girl was remarkably short, only coming to about Ciel’s nose at most, but her height did not retract from her cold and intimidating stare. But what Ciel thought was the most terrifying feature to her was her scars. Three, thin lines cutting from the corner of her eye down to her cheek.

  
“Dear me, you seem awfully pale, Lord Phantomhive,” the girl said, slowly making her way down the stairs. Her expression was one of worry, but her lips twitched as if she were trying to hold back a smirk. As soon as she was right in front of him, she brought a gloved hand up to his cheek. The cold metal of a ring brushed against his skin, but he didn’t dare retract his gaze from the girl. She eyed the cut on his cheek and commented, “I see you didn’t escape without a scratch.”

  
“Who are you?” Sebastian said suddenly. The four servants had been watching the scene unfold in perfect silence, not daring to breathe. The girl pulled her hand back and let it fall to her side as she faced Sebastian. Her expression turned to one of irritation for a split second, then cooled to impassiveness. “Ah, do forgive my rudeness.” She curtsied to Ciel. “My name is Claire Benoit, I am the daughter of Earl Pierre Benoit. He is the owner of a weapons company, though I run it in his absence.”

  
'Claire?' Ciel thought. 'Is this the Claire Lizzy was talking about before?'

“Might I ask why you are here, Lady Benoit?” he asked coldly.

  
The corner of her lip tugged again. Claire pulled out a small envelope from her dress pocket. On it was the Queen’s seal. The letter seemed to burn Ciel’s hand as he took it from her and opened it. “I have been ordered by Queen Victoria to act as a bodyguard for you. I can’t tell you much of the details, but I follow every one of the Queen’s wishes. You’ll find my credibility in the letter.” Claire said as he read through it quickly. ‘She’s had training in fencing, swordplay, martial arts... Who is this girl?!’ he thought.

  
“Well, that will be all for tonight. My shift begins tomorrow at 9 o’clock sharp, and my two servants will also be accompanying me to help monitor the mansion. I’m sure your servants will be okay with them. They are not as...” - She turned to Finnian, whose eyes widened and started trembling - “Scary is the way you put it, correct? Well, they aren’t as “scary” as me.”

  
Claire turned to walk outside. She walked past the servants and nearly made it to the door before Ciel called after her. “I see your credibility in the letter, but I would like a demonstration to fully understand your capabilities.” He was challenging her. He wanted to see just how well she had been trained.

  
The smirk she’d been itching to make finally formed on her face.

 

“But of course, Lord Phantomhive. How would you like to test me?” she asked.

  
“When you arrive tomorrow, we will have a duel. Standard rules, when the sword of an opponent is knocked out of their hands, the duel is won. Is. That. Clear, Ms. Benoit?” Ciel said, his gaze sharp.

  
“Crystal,” Claire opened the door and waved at him, not bothering to turn around. “Until tomorrow, Lord Phantomhive.” And the door shut tight on those last few words.


	4. Chapter 3

“The Queen’s Raven is an infamous assassin known for the murders of “unloyal” nobles of the Queen, almost all victims accused of some plot against the Queen. She is always female, and while her identity is always unknown there are a few features always common between the various Ravens- God, what does this have to do with FINDING the bloody Raven?!” Ciel slammed the book he was reading from on the table and groaned. It was about 8 o’clock in morning, an hour before Claire Benoit was expected to arrive. Ciel had gotten no sleep, and had been constantly searching through books Sebastian conveniently “found” on the Queen’s Raven. Ciel’s head was pounding from lack of sleep and frustration.

 

“Perhaps it will give clues to who the Raven is, not how to find them.” Sebastian offered, skimming through the papers of the book. Pictures of supposed Ravens, details about their infamous daggers, but nothing of real value.

  
“Well, I think it’s that damned Claire Benoit. Can we find anything on her?”

  
“Why do you think it’s her?” Sebastian asked, raising one eyebrow, “Though she is arrogant and most likely very strong, murder does not seem like one of her hobbies.”

  
“Think about it. She appeared just HOURS after the party. How did she get here so fast? How did she get that letter so quickly from the Queen? It’s like she’s already had this planned out!”

  
“Why don’t you ask her tomorrow after the duel? I’m sure she’d be happy in answer any of your questions.”

  
Ciel huffed indignantly and sat back in his chair. Only then did he notice one of the books sitting in a stack next to him; it was a record of all know nobles and their biographies, last names A-C; a small token from Ciel’s Jack the Ripper case when Sebastian “borrowed” the book from the Scotland Yard, he never did return it. He grinned evilly. “Why don’t we answer a few questions right now?” Sebastian noticed the book too as Ciel pulled it from the pile and started flipping through the pages. He made his way behind the desk as Ciel said, “Here she is!”

 

_Full Name: Claire Maria Benoit_   
_Blood Type: AB-_   
_Birth Date: December 21, 1873_   
_Height (as of 1889): 4’7” inches_   
_Weight (as of 1889): 46.3 kg._

Underneath the basic information about her were new paper clips about her. Not surprisingly, there were very few. Apparently the rest of the world knew as much about her as Ciel and Sebastian did. The first of the two articles had a picture of Claire posted next to it. Though the picture was small, Ciel could still make out Claire’s harsh scowl, and her arm was in a cast. Underneath her high dress collar, Sebastian could see the faint line of bruises in the shape of finger prints. Curiosity got the best of the demon, and he began reading the article aloud:

 

_“CLAIRE BENOIT, THE HIDDEN HEIR TO BENOIT WEAPONS?”_   
_Nearly everyone has heard of the famous Pierre Benoit and his magnificent weapons company. His great ancestors supplied us with weapons of the best quality for ages; but the question has always been: Who is the heir and successor to this great man? The answer may surprise you._

  
_Just recently has a young woman emerged from the shadows of her predecessor, and her name is Claire Benoit, as seen in the picture we got of her coming out of a ceremny for the return of Earl Ciel Phantomhive. She is the only known heir to the family manor, fortune, and the company as well. We interviewed her father since we could not obtain one with her herself, and he said,_

  
_“My daughter Claire is the only heir to my fortune. I know she will be perfectly fit to succeed me. In fact, the only reason she has not come out to the public sooner is simply because she has been studying endlessly to be a better lady of the court.”_

  
_Though he may say this, it seems the activities this Lady Benoit can be called controversial. She apparently (as said by Lord Benoit in the same interview) partakes in lessons of swordplay, business ethics, and public speaking. A lady of the court, you say Lord Benoit? More like a girl training to become a man! Has Lord Benoit finally gone mad, or is this new behavior a part of some rebellion against the gender roles of males and females?_

 

"Look at those marks on her neck," Ciel commented, not bothering to read the rest of the article, "How did she get those?"

 

"It looks like someone tried to strangle her..." Sebastian said, "And why was she there are your ceremony?"

 

Ciel shook his head. "I don't even remember seeing her there. I know Her Majesty invited so random nobles, but Claire Benoit... She was a ghost up until this moment."

 

"Maybe she knew she would come in handy one day..." he muttered.

 

Ciel sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his pounding temples. What time was it again? It seemed like they had been looking through files for ages. Sebastian looked at the exhausted boy and grabbed the candle from the desk. "I think it's about time you went to sleep, my lord," he said, "You need to conserve your energy for tomorrow's duel."

 

"Yes... Yes, of course. Let's go." He got up from his chair and followed Sebastian to the door, trying not to rub his eyes. The butler held it open fr him and he walked out into the empty, black corridor. Sebastian took once last look at the files on the desk, specifically the picture of Claire with the bruises on her neck, and shut the door, leaving the room in complete darkness.


	5. Chapter 4

Ciel and Sebastian had been waiting outside for nearly forty minutes, and Claire still hadn’t bothered to show up yet. The other servants were out doing God knows what, but at the moment Sebastian wasn’t too worried they would break something. As soon as the sheer presence of Lady Benoit entered the mansion, they would be scared stiff.

  
Finally, Sebastian could see the faintest glimpse of a carriage rising from the horizon. “They’re here.” Ciel looked over in his direction, and found that sure enough, the carriage was getting steadily closer until it was finally in front of the them. The shiny black door opened softly, and the first person out of the vehicle was surprisingly not Claire.

  
Instead, it was a girl about the same age as her, with a round and full face. Her hair was an incredibly dark red, even darker than Madame Red’s had been, and was tied into two low pigtails. Her pale skin was dotted with freckles, and her eyes were a mysterious electric blue. She wore a simple lady’s maid outfit, so Ciel guessed this was one of the two servants Claire had brought along with her.

  
The next person out was again not Claire. It was a boy maybe a few years older than the first girl, and he was almost as tall as Sebastian. His hair was brown with the faintest hint of a red hue to it, and his eyes were the same color as the girl’s. ‘Twins,’ Sebastian thought. The boy wore a simple page’s outfit, but from his demeanor and the way he held himself, he seemed to have a much higher status.

  
Though Claire was right about one thing; they did look much nicer than her.

  
And finally, the Lady herself exited the carriage, and Ciel was choked with surprise when he saw what she was wearing.

  
Speaking of which, Claire was wearing a simple black top, nothing very special. But instead of a long flowing skirt fanning out like usual for women it was a pair of… leather shorts?!

  
“What in God’s name are you wearing?!” Ciel said loudly, trying to control his voice. Sebastian was trying not to laugh at the boy's shock and embarrassment in the background.

 

For a second Claire looked surprised, but then she grinned and retorted, “Nice to see you as well, Lord Phantomhive.” Completely ignoring his statement, she turned to her two servants, “I see you’ve been acquainted with Lucille and Edmund.” Lucille crossed her arms over her chest and eyed Sebastian, while the boy Edmund looked at the two of them like little more than bugs. “Edmund, Lucille, I’d like you to meet Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his butler Sebastian.”

  
Lucille walked up to them slowly and curtsied to Ciel. She looked back at Sebastian and said, “You are a strange one, aren’t ya’?” Her voice was thick with a Scottish accent. “Why are your eyes so red, huh?”

 

Sebastian felt his face go light red and he coughed. “They’re just that way.”

  
“You some kind of supernatural being or somethin'?” she asked bluntly.

  
“Lucille,” Claire said sternly.

  
“Sorry, milady,” the redhead said. She walked back to her place by Edmund, all the while muttering something, “I think… I think ’e is a demon…” Sebastian was internally screaming. Even Ciel felt his stomach do a flip as soon as he heard the word 'demon.'

  
“Well, Lucille and Edmund, you may go meet my servants. Lady Benoit, would you please come with me?” Ciel said, motioning for Claire to follow. Lucille and Edmund began walking to the mansion, but not before Lucille gave Claire a shy wave goodbye.

 ---

Sebastian, Claire and Ciel walked out onto the small field between the mansion gardens and the mansion itself. Sebastian moved to give Claire a sword but she turned him down when she tested the sword’s weight, instead taking out a sword of her own, one that seemed to be of much finer quality than the offered one. “I do hope this sword won’t make the fight seem unfair, but your sword was off balanced, and made very cheaply.”

  
“It’s a simple dueling sword.” Ciel muttered, and Claire somehow heard him for she replied, “I prefer quality over simplicity.”

  
Ciel mumbled a few curses at her under his breath before standing back to back with her and they brought their swords up straight in front of them. “Don’t be too shocked when I beat you,” Claire taunted, her voice barely above a breath. “We’ll just see about that,” Ciel replied, making his voice low as well. Ciel stood straighter and he and Claire both said, “Allez!”

  
Sebastian raised his hand and began counting down, “Ten… nine… eight… seven… six...” At each number he called, Claire and Ciel moved up a step. “Five… Four… Three… Two…” The two nobles faced each other.

  
“One.”

  
And the duel began.

  
Ciel lunged at Claire as he could tell she was obviously waiting for him to make the first move. He at first swiped at her with a sense of calm pride. She couldn’t possibly be that strong since she was that small. But as she began to block more and more of his attacks, they became frenzied and erratic. He tried to hit her any way possible, swiping near her legs, her head, even from the sides. But Claire was faster, and she dodged or blocked all of them. When Ciel tried to hit the sword out of her hands by going over her head, she met his sword with her own and stayed locked there. “What’s the matter, Phantomhive? Lost your touch?” she taunted, to which he growled in response.

  
And then, Claire took on the offensive. She knocked Ciel’s swords away from her, and rushed at him with a dark look in her eyes. He barely had anytime to react before her sword came crashing down on his, the vibrations racing down his arm. He stumbled back. Claire moved forward again. This time, she moved more towards his side, almost tearing the fabric of Ciel’s jacket. Ciel made a reckless jab near her neck, and she dodged by tilting her head back far enough she could see the end of the blade hovering above her sharp nose. The earl pulled his sword back to swipe at her hand, but Claire did a perfect split on the ground and held her sword above her to protect herself. Their blades clashed, though Claire barely even flinched. “See why the pants are better?” she said, smirking.

 

“Would you just shut up?” Ciel snarled, getting angrier by the second at how easily she was beating him.

  
Claire gracefully got up from her split, and made a jab at Ciel’s sword again. He blocked it easier this time, getting used to the way Claire fought. Mainly, she aimed for the heart or throat, hoping he would stumble and bring up his sword to block her. Then, she would try to dislodge it by running her blade down his, and once it was lodged in the hilt, she would bring it up and over his head.

  
But he wouldn’t let her do that.

  
Ciel went at Claire, and she dodged by quickly turned to the right, so that the sword was parallel to her back. If Ciel hadn’t been so focused on the sword itself, he would’ve noticed a wild and fearful look go into Claire’s eyes as she noticed how close the sword was to her back. He would’ve seen her bring her sword around so that it twisted around his own.

  
But he did see the sword go flying out of his hands and into the ground next to him.

  
The boy panted heavily, trying to process what just happened. Claire was breathing heavily as well, the wild look in her eyes slowly diminishing. A mischievous grin began to form on her face, and she slowly sheathed her sword.

  
“I did say not to be too shocked when I beat you.”


	6. Chapter 5

During Ciel and Claire’s duel, the Phantomhive servants were all inside the kitchen, anxious about meeting the two Benoit servants. Mey-Rin fiddled with her glasses, something she always did when she was nervous. Bard was trying to make himself busy by reading cooking books and trying to figure out what to have for dinner. Finny, though scared, was patiently waiting their arrival by sitting on the stacks of flour.

  
The three didn’t say anything until Mey-Rin spoke up, “What do you two think they’ll be like?”

  
“Perhaps they’ll be big and scary~ Like giant bears!” Bard growled ferociously at Mey-Rin, making her squeal.

  
But Finny waved his hand in the air and piped up, “No, Lady Benoit said they weren’t scary.. like her…” He trembled at the thought of the girl’s unnerving appearance.

  
Mey-Rin put her glasses back in place, and said, “Maybe they’ll actually be nice!”

  
“But if they are anything like their mistress…” Bard muttered. The three pondered that thought for a moment, and their expressions turned sour. “There’s no way…” they said together.

  
“Talkin’ about us?” A voice called from the door.

  
The three servants screamed in fright when the female voice spoke. They turned, only to see Lucille and Edmund in the door. Lucille was laughing, and even the stone-cold boy next to her couldn’t hide the small grin on his face. “Did I really scare ya’ that badly?” she asked in between fits of giggles.

 

Finny was the first to calm down and he replied shakily, “N-No… not at all, hahaha!” He tried to laugh off his fear.

  
Lucille smiled warmly at them and Edmund walked up, saying, “I do apologize for my sister’s antics. I am Edmund, and you three are?” Like Lucille, Edmund’s voice held a thick Scottish accent.

 

Mey-Rin blushed lightly when he looked at her and she stuttered out, “I-I’m Mey-Rin, yes!”

  
“I’m Bard.”

  
“Finnian over here!”

  
“Hello everyone. Oh, and this is Lucille,” Edmund said, motioning to the girl; she waved again. “If you don’t mind, we’d like to help you with anything you were working on.”

  
“I was just about to go check on the roses,” Finny offered, “Would you like to come with me, Miss Lucille?”

  
“Sure! And you can call me Lucy if you want,” she said, running outside with him.

  
“Then you can call me Finny!”

  
Edmund walked over to Bard. “I assume you’re the cook, yes? Milady Benoit and Lord Phantomhive will be most likely very hungry after their duel. I can help you cook.”

  
“Ah, thank you very much,” Bard replied, “Mey-Rin, would ya’ go tidy up Lord Ciel’s office?” The maid nodded and left the room.

  
\---

  
Outside, Finny was showing Lucy around the gardens and pruning the bushes carefully. She was amazed the the beauty of the roses, saying “Our roses back at home have never been so large!” Finny proudly told her of how he grew them himself.

  
“So Lucy, what kind of job do you have at the Benoit household?” Finny asked as he watered the roses.

  
Lucy put a lock of her hair behind her ear and she said, “I’m Claire’s lady’s maid. I help her with business around the household.”

  
“That sounds like fun!” he replied.

  
“Yeah, but not fun when you’ve got bunches of little toddlers running around.” she grumbled.

  
“Toddlers… Wait, is Lady Benoit-!” he gasped.

  
“No no no! She’s not a mother nor a wife!” Lucy said, laughing, “She just keeps a lot of orphans in her home. She has a soft spot for poor people, like her mother.”

  
“Really? What was her mother like?”

  
Her eyes got misty as she told him. “The first Lady Benoit, whom I call Lady Maria, was an amazing woman. She was strong, smart, and beautiful, which is probably why Lord Benoit loved her so much. Her soft spot for poor people was the trait that lead me and Edmund to become servants under her.  
We were both orphans in Scotland. Our parents had abandoned us when we were five years old. While Lady Maria was visiting Scotland to see her cousin, she saw us alone on the street. Claire was with her, and actually was the one that pointed to us. Lady Maria took us in that day. We became Claire’s two best friends, and when we were old enough, her servants. Claire continued Lady Maria’s legacy of taking in orphans. We have about seventeen at the mansion right now.”

  
Finny’s eyes widened. “Seventeen?!”

  
Lucy laughed again, “Yep, two twelve-year-olds, four six-year-olds, five five-year-olds, three four-years-olds, two three-year-olds, and one two-year-old. And one of our six-year-olds is blind.”

  
“That’s an impressive number. And Claire will care of them herself, too?”

  
Lucille nodded. “She always takes a little time out of the day to play with them. She’s really good with kids.”

  
“I bet she’ll be a great mother someday.”

  
“Oh, Claire doesn’t want to get married.”

  
“Really?!” Finny exclaimed. "But she seems like she'd be an incredible wife! Despite how scary she can look sometimes..." he added underneath his breath.

  
“Well, she was never betrothed to anyone when she was born. Lord Benoit is very overprotective, and he didn’t want to have her betrothed until she found a man she loved. But Claire doesn’t really like the idea of getting married and having kids.” The girl shrugged, and resumed looking through the roses, watching Finny prune them too. Something red caught her attention and she crouched down to the level of one of the larger roses.

  
“Ooo, hey, Finny! Come look over here!” she called, waving her hands in the air. When he ran over, she pointed to a beautiful butterfly on the bushes, with wings of red, white, and black speckles.

 

He gasped. “Wow… It’s so pretty…” Slowly and carefully, Lucy plucked the butterfly from the rose and it perched on her finger.

  
“This is a Red Admiral butterfly. They’re really common here and- oh!” She squeaked when the butterfly took off and landed on her nose. Finny started giggling as Lucille’s eyes crossed trying to look at it. She blew a puff of air at it to make it fly away and laughed with Finnian.

  
\---

  
In the kitchen, Bard and Edmund were discussing what to make for tea time. “Milady loves treacle pudding; it’s her favorite dish. What does Lord Phantomhive like?” Edmund asked, pointing at the recipe for treacle in Bard’s cookbook.

 

“Lord Ciel really likes any kind of sweets, though cake does seem to be his favorite.”

  
“Like any child,” Edmund muttered under his breath and chuckled, before speaking up, “Anyway, let’s get started. Which dish would you like to prepare?”

  
“I’ve never really tried makin’ treacle pudding before… I’ll do that one,” Bard said.

  
“Then I’ll make the cake. Is strawberry shortcake okay?”

  
“S’fine. Oh, and what kind of tea does Lady Benoit like?”

  
Edmund made a sour face. “Milady hates tea. She’s always preferred coffee over tea.”

  
“Really?” Bard asked, lighting a cigarette and putting in it his mouth, “That’s usually a commoner’s drink, isn’t it?”

  
“Yes, but her mother enjoyed it as well. I’ll make the coffee, and you can make the tea for the young lord.”

  
The two men got out all the ingredients they needed, and they began to cook. Edmund started to slice the strawberries that would be put inside the cake uniformly, so that each strawberry slice looked almost exactly the same. Bard watched him carefully, wondering just how he was doing that so precisely. He’s obviously been in the kitchen before. “So, uh… What exactly is your job in the Benoit house?” Bard asked, mixing breadcrumbs in a bowl with the golden syrup.

  
Edmund glanced at him for second and said, “I’m technically the first footman, but in reality I’m more of the all around kind of servant.”

  
“So you do everything, sorta?” Bard began pouring sugar into the bowl.

  
“Yes, I have helped with cooking, cleaning, accompanying Milady out on errands - though Lucy usually comes with us on those - and gardening.” Edmund put all the sliced strawberries in a bowl, and looked at the mix of treacle pudding. “You’re going to put too much sugar in there.” Bard looked down at his hand and noticed the sugar was way too high in the bowl.

  
“Aw, shit-!” he swore, quickly pulling the sugar away and closing it up. Edmund grinned slightly.

  
“You are very lucky Milady has a huge sweet tooth.”


	7. chapter 6

Ciel, Sebastian, and Claire all walked in with Lucille and Finny, the two servants running ahead like children playing. Sebastian couldn’t help but wonder how Lady Benoit’s two servants ended up like THAT, when she…. ended up like this. He had just glanced at her when he noticed she was checking her pocketwatch. ‘Odd… Women don’t usually carry around pocket watches,’ he thought as she said, “It’s already almost tea time.”

  
“Yes, we will be having it in my office today. I have a few questions I’d like for you to answer.” Ciel replied, looking down at her.

  
Claire fiddled with her watch, twirling the chain around her finger and letting it twirl undone again. She smirked slightly, rolling her eyes. “Well, I definitely look forward to it.” Her tone was full of sarcasm.

  
“If you’ll excuse me, I shall go check it Bard has finished preparing today’s snack,” Sebastian said, bowing to the two nobles and walking towards the kitchen.

  
“Milady, Finny would like to give me a tour of the mansion.” Lucille said. She was standing at the top of the staircase giggling with the gardener. Claire smiled, and simply waved her away. The maid grinned and ran off with Finnian, chatting excitedly about all the stuff they could do.

  
“This way, please,” Ciel said, motioning for her to follow him. Claire complied.

  
Sebastian opened the door for the two nobles, and they entered. The papers about Claire on Ciel’s desk were replaced with a tower of trays filled with the desserts and snacks Bard and Edmund had made, and the girl’s silver eyes shone a little when she saw the treacle pudding. So did Ciel’s when he saw the strawberry shortcake. Though he did notice an odd smell in the room; was it… coffee?

  
Ciel sat down at his chair and Claire sat in the one set up in front of him. Sebastian cut a piece of the shortcake and gave it to Ciel, along with a cup of earl grey tea. He then served Claire, giving her the small treacle pudding and a cup of coffee. The lady quickly got out the sugar and poured a few small spoonfuls into the coffee along with a little creamer. “You prefer coffee over tea?” Ciel asked.

  
Claire looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. “Yes… so?”

  
He blinked. “Nothing.”

  
She shrugged and resumed stirring her coffee. Ciel took a sip of his tea and looked over at Sebastian. The butler only shrugged as well.

  
“So…” Claire put down her coffee after having a sip, “What are these questions you wanted to ask me?”

  
Ciel paused and set down the fork he was about to dig into the shortcake. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out the papers he had from the night before. He put the papers out in front of him and asked, “Let’s start simple. Why are you protecting me from the Queen’s own Raven on the Queen’s orders?”

  
Claire sat back in her seat. “Did you happen to pick up the knife the Raven threw at you at the ball?”

  
“I’m asking the questions here-” He began.

  
“And I’ll answer them, when you answer mine.” She interrupted, sitting up again. “Now, do you have the knife or not?”

  
Ciel stared her down for a moment before pulling the knife out of another drawer from his desk. He handed it to her, and she examined the item carefully. A smirk tugged at her lips. “This is fake, just like the Raven you saw two nights ago.”

  
Ciel’s and Sebastian’s eyes widened, and the earl tried to control his voice as he said, “What are you talking about?”

  
“I’m the only person, besides the Queen herself, who knows what the Raven’s knives look like, since I am the one who manufactured them. And this is just a very cheap copy of Benoit company’s quality work.”

  
“You manufacture them? Then you know who the real Raven is, right?” Ciel felt his chest rise with hope.

  
“No.” Ciel’s hope shattered in the bottom of his stomach.

  
Claire continued to stare at the dagger as she said, “I only manufacture them to the Queen’s wishes, then they are delivered to the Queen who then passes them on to the real Raven. I have never met her myself, but I hear from the Queen she’s quite the skilled assassin. I guess that’s another reason the fake Raven missed and then disappeared so quickly. Next question?”

  
Ciel sighed, and pulled out the letter from the Queen Claire gave him the night of the party. “How did you get this so quickly?”

  
Claire laughed. “The Queen had recent information from the original Raven that there was someone impersonating her. She also learned that you were the next target on the list. When Queen Victoria heard about this, she quickly wrote this letter and sent it to me the night before the ball. I decided to attend the ball in case something did happen, but unfortunately I was swept away in the crowd like the girl and her brother you entered with.”

  
“I see… And you left early… Why?” Sebastian asked suddenly.

  
Claire sat up and put her elbows on the table, holding her head in her hands. “Because I know what the ‘Villainous Noble’ is capable of. Oh yes, I know of that title.” She said when she saw Ciel’s eyes widen. “Villainous Noble, Aristocrat of Evil. You’ve made a name for yourself almost as infamous as the Raven’s name. But unlike her, you need not worry about revenge-seeking relatives of traitors coming to murder you in the night. Especially with him protecting you." She gestured to Sebastian with her head. "I'm sure no one gets within fifty feet of the mansion with your dear butler around.”

  
She sat back again. “I knew you would be able to handle yourself, what with your butler there with you. So I left, to wait for you back at your mansion.”

  
“Why are you here if you know the Earl can take care of himself?” Sebastian asked, his words quick.

  
“Because I was ordered by the Queen to be here. If I didn’t follow her orders exactly, I know that she’d get suspicious, and maybe someday call the Raven upon me.” Claire looked pointedly at Ciel, and he froze. Did she know…?

  
“Next question.”

  
Ciel shook his head to clear his thoughts, and asked, “Tell me, why haven’t you appeared in public before recently?”

  
“Simply because I do not have the time. I’m a very busy girl, Lord Phantomhive. I run a large enterprise in my father’s absence, along with taking lessons of swordplay, ballet, and various studies of history and mathematics, and the lot. I do not have the time nor the energy to go to balls, unless on the Queen’s orders, of course.”

  
“Why do you take so many lessons and studies?”

  
“My mother wanted me to be educated. She was not educated much herself, so she wanted me to have what she didn’t.” Claire seemed to be getting annoyed with all the questions about her. She played with the ring on her finger agitatedly, a white gemstone embedded in gleaming silver. Ciel had never noticed it before. Wait, he did remember it. It was the cold metal that brushed against his cheek when Claire was examining his face.

  
This girl was a mystery to him. While she countered every question he asked, something still felt off about her...

  
“Why did the Queen choose you, Lady Benoit?” He asked slowly, watching for her reaction. He noticed her eyes twitch slightly, before she relaxed in her seat.

  
“I don’t know.” That was her answer. She was here because the Queen asked her to be, and yet she didn’t even know why.

  
Talk about blind loyalty.

  
“Do not take it as blind loyalty, Lord Phantomhive.” - he could have sworn she was reading his mind - “I have my suspicions of the Queen’s intentions. But protecting people is one of my specialties, and I'm not about to disobey Her Majesty's wishes."

  
They had a silent stare off for a few moments. Claire was leaning back in her chair, one hand cupping her chin while she surveyed him. She seemed oddly calm, quite the opposite of Ciel, whose hands were gripping the arms of his chair in frustration. When Ciel finally looked away, he sighed and sank back in his chair, feeling defeated.

  
“Fine. That’s all the questions there will be today. Sebastian will show you to your room. It’s the fourth door down in the west hallway.”

  
The butler stood a little straighter as Claire got up from her seat. When he held open the door for her, she took a quick glance at him. The expression on her face was one of suspicion.

  
Sebastian took one last look at Ciel, who was rubbing his forehead with an almost pained expression on his face. “Follow her.” Ciel said softly, and the butler nodded.


	8. chapter 7

Sebastian led Lady Benoit down the west hallway until he stopped at the fourth door down. He used the key from his pocket to unlock it and motioned for Lady Benoit to enter. She walked in slowly and gazed about the room.

  
It was rather small, but still nicely decorated the same. The walls were painted a faded blue, the carpet was soft and gray. It smelled of flowers in the room, and Lady Benoit turned her head to see a bouquet of sterling silver roses sitting on her nightstand. “Finnian and Lucille made those for you,” Sebastian mentioned. Her bed was on the left side of the room and the dark blue sheets looked freshly washed and put together. Lady Benoit ran her fingers over the dark wood of her vanity, looking at her reflection in the oval mirror.

  
She turned back to Sebastian when she noticed he didn’t leave. “Is there a problem, Mr. Michaelis?”

  
“There are a few actually,” he replied as he stepped forward. “Why are you here, Lady Benoit?”

  
“I believe I’ve already answered this question-” she started.

  
“Why are you really here?” Sebastian interrupted, taking another step closer when Lady Benoit backed away. “You honestly think I believe that you’re here simply because the Queen ordered you to be?”

  
“Maybe, maybe not. Doesn’t mean I have to tell you.” she clenched her fist as if she were ready to punch him if he got any closer. “I’d suggest you leave right now, Mr. Michaelis. Before I call Edmund or Lucille.”

  
Sebastian glared at her before stepping back towards the door. Lady Benoit’s fist unclenched as she began to relax, and the butler opened the door. “I know you’re hiding something, Lady Benoit, and the Young Lord and I intend to find out what it is.”

  
He barely dodged the hairbrush that came flying at his head as he slipped through the door.

  
\---

  
Ciel dreamed that night of his imprisonment at the cult, something he had not dreamed in a long time. It felt like he was there again, the cold stone on his back;the glimmer of the night looked so real, and it was aimed straight at his heart. He looked at the mask the man was wearing, shaped like the wings of a bird. A cold fear gripped his heart and the man raised the knife over his head.

  
Suddenly the man’s face began to change, becoming more angular and pale. The mask changed too, becoming the Raven’s cold iron mask, and suddenly it was the Raven pointing the dagger at him. She smiled a wicked grin, and Ciel gasped in shock when he saw her eyes. Cold, silver, and so very familiar.

  
He shut his eyes and screamed as Claire plunged the dagger into his chest.

  
He woke up in a cold sweat, bolting up from where he lay. His heart threatened to beat right out of his chest and he put a hand over it to steady it. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed he wasn’t alone in the room. He jumped back when he saw who it was.

  
Claire was sitting at the edge of his bed, her knees tucked close to her chest. Her silver eyes, the eyes he’d seen a few minutes before she’d killed him in his dream, were dark and curious. Her face was illuminated only by the moonlight, giving a surreal, ghostly cast over it.

  
“Nightmare?” she said softly.

  
Slowly, Ciel nodded his head. Claire’s expression didn’t change.

  
“I get them too.” When she said that, Ciel couldn’t help but glance at the scars on her cheek. They looked fresh and jagged in the moonlight.

  
“Will you stay? Until I fall asleep again?” Ciel whispered, using the question he saved for Sebastian during his first few months back at the mansion. Claire nodded softly, and Ciel laid down again. When he closed his eyes, he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

 

When he awoke the next morning, Claire was gone.

  
He wondered if she was ever there at all.


	9. chapter 8

Ciel had grown accustom to Claire’s subtle presence in his office with him everyday, since it had been nearly a month since she started to stay with him. She would enter the room with a quiet “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” before taking a book from his shelf, sitting in a chair set up from her, and reading while he worked. On the occasional day, she would glance at his work and offer her advice on running Funtom Company. He never asked for it, but Ciel soon realized it was actually helping.

  
He’d also grown accustom to sneaking glances at Claire while she read. He could tell when she was really involved in the book because she would start strumming her fingers on the cover, and Ciel had to wonder if she played any instruments or not. He noticed that Claire was quick reader; she would finish an entire 600 page book in about half a day, then pick up one even bigger and begin reading that. It was amazing really.

  
There was however, the rare moment where she’d catch him looking at her. Ciel immediately went back to work when she made eye contact, a pink tinge to his cheeks. Claire would usually stare at him for a moment longer before going back to reading, a smirk tugging at her lips.

  
“Don’t you ever take a break from working?” Claire asked one day just as she finished her most recent book.

  
“Only when I have an assignment from the Queen, which has been often until now,” Ciel muttered his reply, his pen scratching quickly across the page. Claire got up from her seat and gently pulled the pen out of his hand, putting it back into its holder. He was forced to glare up at her irritatedly.

  
“I think it’s time for you to take a break. How about a game of chess?” Claire said, a mischievous grin on her face.

  
Ciel sighed, but complied with the girl anyway.

  
He pulled out his old chess board and starting arranging all the pieces. Ciel would be black; Claire would be white. As white customarily went first, Claire moved a pawn forward.

  
“So, do you play chess often?” Claire asked as Ciel moved his next piece.

  
“When I have a good opponent, yes,” Ciel said.

  
“Ah, does that make me a good opponent?” She smirked teasingly, taking one of Ciel’s pawns with her knight.

  
“I just wanted to see if I could beat you at chess instead of swordplay.” Ciel taunt with a smirk of his own. He took Claire’s knight with a pawn.

  
Claire laughed. “We shall see~!”

  
The game was definitely an interesting one. Claire seemed to weave in and out of Ciel’s assaults, making few but necessary sacrifices. Ciel would attack without remorse, taking Claire’s best players one by one. He was clearly winning, but Claire wasn’t going down without a fight.Nearly two hours later, Ciel finally claimed Claire’s king, and the game was won.

  
Claire had only grinned when she lost. “It seems that when it comes to a battle of logic over strength, you obviously surpass me by far.”

  
And though Ciel would never admit it, he couldn’t help a swell of pride fill his chest when Claire complimented him. “And when it comes to strength over wits, you’ve obviously surpassed me as well.”

  
Claire laughed softly, her eyes lowering as she began to twist the ring around her finger. Ciel followed her line of vision and sat back in his chair. “You do that often.”

  
Claire’s eyes shot back up at him, a tinge of pink to her cheeks. “Do I really?”

  
“I can see the light reflect off of it in the corner of my eye while you’re reading. You usually do it when you’re really enjoying a part of the book.” Suddenly Ciel realized that everything he just said made it very clear that he would stare at her while she’s reading. He felt his cheeks go slightly red. “I-I just noticed it a little while ago...” Nice recovery there, Ciel. A+ job.

  
“Well, I noticed you tend to tap your pen on the paper you’re working on when you’re frustrated.” It was true; there were days were there was a blotch of ink where he kept tapping his pen. “I too-- I too just noticed it a little while ago....” She trailed off at the end, laughing nervously.

  
A knock sounded from outside the room. Caught off guard, both nobles jumped at the sound.

  
“Young Master, Lady Benoit, it’s time for tea.” Sebastian said as he entered the room and bowed lowly, “Tea will be held in the parlor today.”

  
Claire and Ciel almost immediately stood up, trying to shake off the embarrassing moment they had. “Yes well,” Ciel said, looking at Claire then looking at the floor quickly when he made eye contact with her. “W-Well, shall we be off?”

  
Suddenly, a loud ‘CRASH!’ sounded from the hallway. Claire whipped her head around quickly, and Sebastian listened for any other noise. “What the hell was that?” Ciel said.  
“I’ll go check. You two should stay here,” Sebastian said. He felt uneasy about where the sound was coming from. Somewhere around the main hall…

  
“Like hell you are, butler.” Claire said as she stormed to the door. "I've got a duty to do and I intend to keep it."

  
“Lady Benoit, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Ciel replied.

  
She turned to stare at him for a second and snapped, “Then what do you suggest, Lord Phantomhive?”

  
He stopped. In reality, he had no idea what they should do instead. There was obviously something wrong in the main hall, and Sebastian really should have checked it out. But then there’s Claire… She would be suspicious if Sebastian killed the intruder so quickly...

  
“Why don’t we all go?” he offered.

  
“No-” Claire and Sebastian started together, but then stopped to look at each other funny. “Young master, it would be best if you stayed here. We don’t know if this is the fake Raven, or just a simple intruder.” Sebastian said, Claire nodding in agreement.

  
“How do you know it’s an intruder?” Ciel retorted, which stopped them both short. Claire looked up at Sebastian before motioning him to turn around. He knelt to hear what she was saying.

  
“We can’t just leave him here by himself. He might try to follow us!” Claire whispered to Sebastian. She could hear Ciel grumble “I’m right here, you know” in the background but ignored him anyway.

  
“Yes, but maybe it would be better if you stayed here with him…”

  
“No way, Michaelis. I have orders to follow.”

  
“You two are wasting time arguing. We need to go now, before whatever made that sound gets up here.” Ciel said angrily, storming past them and slamming open the door. Sebastian and Claire quickly followed, and the earl ignored whatever complaints they had about him coming along.


	10. Chapter 9

The trio entered the main hall in hurry, Ciel nearly racing down the stairs to see the front door. He felt a cold breeze blow through his hair and saw the door wide open, swinging with the wind. His face paled drastically, and when he looked over, Claire and Sebastian were wearing the same expression. “Sebastian… go get the others.” he said slowly; he felt like if he said anything faster, the Raven would jump at them in an instant. Sebastian paused for a second, then ran with quiet footsteps out of the room. Claire and Ciel were alone.

  
Ciel nearly jumped when he heard a blade being pulled from its sheath, but when he looked behind him, it was only Claire with her sword. Her usual calm and sarcastic demeanor was completely gone, replaced with something far more serious and sinister. Her silver eyes were clouded dark gray, similar to the way they looked in his dream a while ago.

  
“Stay behind me,” she said softly, all humor in her tone gone. Ciel quickly did what he was told, not wanting to argue with her now. They moved quietly down the steps, and Claire kept her sword high in case the intruder attacked. The air around them was tight with tension, the fear and alertness suffocating.

  
Agonizingly slow, they made it to the base of steps, and there was still no sign of movement whatsoever. Both nobles let a few seconds pass, before exhaling gratefully. Claire let her sword lower down so that it was pointing to the ground, and Ciel relaxed the hand that was on his gun.

  
A nearly fatal mistake.

  
Claire and Ciel only had seconds to react before the deadly whistling of a knife sounded from above. It came flying down with surprising accuracy and speed, and Claire swiftly lifted up her sword to block the attack. Ciel felt a hand on his shoulder before being thrown backward and rolling across the floor. “Stay down!” She barked, dodging as another knife came flying at her head.

  
Ciel quickly crawled to the side of the staircase out of the assassin’s view. He twisted his head above the bannister and saw the Raven jump from the rafters of the ceiling and onto the top of the staircase, right in front of his family portrait. Claire grabbed one of the knives that the assassin had thrown at her and sent it sailing towards the other girl’s head. She dodged easily, moved so quickly Claire couldn’t react before being thrown down the steps from the power behind the Raven’s punch. She landed hard on the granite floor, groaning with pain as the Raven made her way leisurely down the steps herself and pulled out another knife from the belt around her waist.

  
The earl hastily pulled out his gun, rolled into view, and shot at the girl a couple of times. She had almost forgotten he was there, so a look of shock crossed her face before a bullet barely missed her shoulder. Claire was beginning to get up, and she launched herself at the Raven, the dagger she’d thrown back in her hand. The girl parried her attack with a swipe at her neck. Ciel saw an opening to shoot, and while bringing the gun to point, he yelled, “Claire, get out of the way!” Apparently, Claire didn’t bother questioning him, because she ducked down so he could have the shot.

  
It struck the Raven in her upper shoulder and she gasped loudly. Hissing, she clutched her shoulder with her free hand, and kicked at the still crouched Claire, who rolled out of the way just in time. ‘She won’t get away this time,’ Ciel thought as he aimed to shoot again.

  
But another shot rang out from behind him.

  
The Raven gasped as another bullet hit her in the thigh.

  
Mey-Rin was standing at the end of the East Hall, her rifle in hand. Baldroy was right behind her with another one, and Finnian and Edmund were both holding up their fists, ready for a fight. Behind all of the was Sebastian, who was grinning smugly. “Well, it’s about damn time,” Claire and Ciel said at the exact same moment.

  
Mey-Rin shot at the Raven again, and she quickly dodged out of the way. Ciel could see her wince when she put pressure on her injured leg. The Raven ran past Claire and towards the doors with Mey-Rin shooting after her. Two wires shot out from the Raven’s wrists and latched onto the doors. She pulled back on them and surged forward, and the doors shut with a loud slam behind her. A few stray bullets chipped the wood.

  
Claire and Ciel ran towards the doors in pursuit, but when they slammed them open, the Queen’s Raven was gone. No footprints, not even a shadow in the distance. She had disappeared again. “Damn,” Ciel cursed.

  
“Are you alright?” Sebastian asked, walking to Ciel and checking his face. “Yes, I’m fine.” he replied. He seemed alright,only a few minor scrapes from when Claire pushed him, but he could tell she wasn’t as much. When she walked over to him, she favoured her left leg over her right. Obviously the fall from the staircase did some damage to her.

  
“Are you sure you don’t want any help?” Ciel asked, and Claire shook her head.

  
“I’ve been through worse.”

  
How strange was it for a noblewoman to go through much worse than an assassin throwing her down the bloody staircase? Very.

  
Edmund and the rest of the servants ran down the staircase to join them. He quickly knelt down to Claire’s level and asked, “You didn’t strain yourself, did you, Milady?”

  
“No, Edmund, I’m fine. Thanks to Lord Phantomhive.” Claire glanced over at him, and his eyes widened a little. “If you hadn’t shot at the Raven, I don’t know what might have happened to either of us. So thank you.”

  
Ciel felt a light blush of embarrassment creep onto his cheeks. “Y-You’re welcome.”

  
“Wait a minute,” Finnian said suddenly. His face was pale when he asked, “Where is Lucille?”

  
Everyone’s faces turned the same pale color as Finnian’s as they looked around the room. Sure enough, the lady’s maid was no where in sight. Ciel looked over to see Claire and Edmund’s faces; both of them had fear written over their features.

  
“LUCY!!” Edmund yelled as he and Claire ran out the doors the Queen’s Raven had just been through.

  
Finnian quickly followed them, shouting, “She was in the garden with me before Sebastian came to get us! I thought she was right behind me, I swear!!”

  
“Clair- Lady Benoit!” Ciel said, sighing and running after them with Sebastian. “Lady Benoit, wait!”

  
“We’ll search the other side to see if she’s there!” Mey-Rin called, and she and Baldroy ran back up the staircase and down the hall.

  
The group stopped at the gardens and decided to split up to find her. Claire, Ciel and Sebastian would look in one part, and Edmund and Finnian would look on the other side. It wasn’t going to be easy. Claire walked at a brisk pace, her eyes scanning every little nook and cranny in the gardens. It was difficult to keep up with her. Quietly, Ciel asked Sebastian if he could sense her anywhere nearby. He was about to reply when Claire shouted, “Lucille!”

  
Sebastian and Ciel ran over to find Claire kneeling next to an unconscious Lucille, blood dripping from a cut on her forehead. She had a large bruise where the cut was too, and Sebastian only guessed she had been knocked out by the Raven. Claire was shaking her shoulder, trying to wake her up.

  
Lucille’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. “Wh-What’s going on....?” When she tried to get up, Claire and Sebastian helped her into a sitting position. “There was the Queen’s Raven... Miss Claire, Lord Phantomhive, you’re alright!”

  
Finnian and Edmund arrived in a hurry a few seconds later. “Lucy!” Edmund said, his eyes full of relief. He ran up and knelt beside his sister. “Are you alright?”

  
“Mostly,” she replied, grinning a little. She then winced at the motion. “I was outside in the gardens with Finny when Sebastian came out. He said Miss Claire and Lord Phantomhive were in trouble. When we began to run to the mansion, I tripped and fell. Finnian didn’t realize I had fallen and bolted ahead of me. I tried to follow him, but something came out and hit me in the head before I could call out!”

  
Sebastian sucked in a sharp breath. “The Raven must have hit her when she was entering the mansion.”

  
Ciel’s expression turned grave. “If the Raven can get to us from here...”

  
“Then it’s obviously not safe for you here anymore.” Claire said as she stood up. “You need a safe place to stay until she stops trying to kill you.”

  
“And where do you suppose I stay?”

  
Claire’s expression hardened with his retort. Apparently, she wasn’t in the mood for a fight. She began to scan the area as she said, “I have a place you can stay. Meet me at you office in a few minutes. I’m going to search the gardens. And make sure Lucille gets cleaned up.”

  
Claire walked away after that, her eyes sharp with concentration. Ciel was about to go after her, but Sebastian grabbed his wrist. “I believe she needs time alone, Young Master.”  
Edmund and Finnian both helped Lucille up, who was still a little woozy from being knocked out. The servants began to walk back to the mansion, but Ciel and Sebastian stayed behind for a few moments. “I never did ask if you were alright.” Sebastian commented.

  
Ciel glanced at him through the corner of his eye. He looked back at Claire’s retreating form as he said, “Of course I’m alright. Don’t be stupid.” He turned on his heel and strode back to the mansion, the butler following a little ways after.


	11. chapter 10

It was, in fact, a few minutes later when Claire knocked on the door of Ciel’s office, and it had also begun to rain heavily. He didn’t bother setting the letter he was reading down on his desk, and he said, “Come in.” When she entered the office, she was soaking wet. Apparently she had not gotten out of the rain in time. And she still hadn’t put away that sword she kept at her side at all times. He went back to reading the letter. “You can put away the sword now, Lady Benoit, there is no need for it.”

  
Claire strode forward quickly and threw something on the desk. He looked away from the paper and felt his blood run cold. Laying on his desk was the Raven’s dagger, but attached to the hilt was a small note. “Take a look at that, why don’t you?” Claire said angrily as she sat down in the chair across from him. Ciel took the paper off the dagger and slowly read it aloud:

  
_“Do you really think you can run from me?”_

  
Ciel jumped when a clamp of thunder sounded from outside, nearly dropping the paper. Claire was rubbing her forehead with one hand, looking utterly defeated. “I found that near your front gates. Seems like whoever is hunting you doesn’t want to stop anytime soon.”

  
“We need a new plan of action.” Ciel said, resting his elbows on his desk and holding his head with one hand, “You apparently have one.”

  
“There’s a place I know of. Very deep in the countryside, surrounded by trees and nearly impossible to find...” Claire held his gaze when she said, “My home.”

  
Ciel’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  
“Fully and completely.”

  
“This is ludicrous!”

  
“On the contrary, Lord Phantomhive,” Claire retorted, her expression turning sour, “You are in a very vulnerable position right now. It’s either stay here and wait to die, or go there and be safe.” She leaned back in her chair. “Your choice, of course.”

  
“It is safe here. Sebastian will be able to protect-”

  
“Why only Sebastian? What is it about Sebastian that makes him so special?” Claire asked as she leaned forward.

  
Ciel shut his mouth, glaring at the girl. But on the inside, he was cursing himself for ever mentioning the demon. It was hard enough to keep the secret from everyone else but this girl... she seemed to be able to see right through him. He decided to take a different plan of action...

  
“I barely even know you.”

  
“And you really think that matters in this situation?” Claire raised her voice slightly, her hands gripping the arms of her chair. “I was assigned to do what is necessary to protect you, and if it involves making you leave your home for a small period of time, then so be it. I could be doing so many other things right now, Lord Phantomhive, but I chose to follow orders. Maybe you should too.” She stood up suddenly and began to walk to the door. “I’ll be waiting in my room for your answer.”

  
“Lady Benoit, wait-” Ciel began, but she had already closed the door.

  
He sighed and sat back down in his chair. Sebastian entered the room a moment later. “I happened to overhear your conversation with Lady Benoit. She was rather aggravated when she exited the room.”

  
Ciel snorted. “Tell me about it.”

  
Sebastian walked up to the desk. “Will you take her offer?

  
The earl sighed, sinking further down in his chair. “I honestly don’t know. What choice do I have? The Raven will obviously come again. And when she does, it might not be with the same circumstances.”

  
“You won’t die until our contract is complete, don’t forget.”

  
“Yes but what about the others? Mey-Rin, Finnian, Baldroy, or even Claire and her servants. They could die because I didn’t take the necessary precautions to protect myself and the others.”

  
“I will protect them, Young Master-” Sebastian started.

  
“Will you?” Ciel interrupted, “When it comes down to it, will you save their lives over mine? No, I’ve made my decision.” Ciel stood up. “I will go with Lady Benoit to her mansion.”

* * *

 

Claire was standing near the window when Ciel entered the room. She glanced at him when he entered, but returned to looking outside. “You have decided, I presume?”

  
Ciel took in a deep breath and said, “I will go.”

  
The room stayed silent for a few moments when Claire didn’t reply. Ciel could feel the atmosphere was tense, even when Claire’s face held an expression of serene calmness. “Alright.” she replied simply, and she turned to look at him. “We will leave tomorrow morning.”

  
Ciel nodded, his whole body tense. Quietly, he walked back out of the room and leaned up against the wall when the door closed. He was about to start walking back to his office and he jumped when the door suddenly opened again. “Oh, and Ciel-” Claire said as she peaked out of her room. “Bring your butler along with you.”

  
Shakily, he nodded, and Claire closed the door again. This time he walked down the hall without any problem, but a thought crossed his mind while he was walking.

  
‘Wait a minute... Did she just call me Ciel?’


	12. Chapter 11

After Ciel had left the room the first time, Claire leaned up against the wall and exhaled gratefully. But she then remembered what she was going to say before he left and quickly opened the door.

  
“Oh, and Ciel-” She had said, and she couldn’t help but laugh a little on the inside at the shocked look on Ciel’s face. “Bring your butler with you.” He nodded and she closed the door. She waited until she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore before letting herself breathe again.

  
Claire walked to the plush sitting chair in her room and sat there. Letters about business from the Benoit mansion had come that day, and she picked up one and began to read it.

  
_“Dear Lady Claire,_  
 _Everything in the Benoit mansion has been running smoothly in your absence. The children miss you, and anxiously await your return soon. I could see them yesterday whispering to each other and giggling, and I think they may have a surprise planned for you when you come back. We all hope for the best with your assignment, and we say good luck to you._  
 _\- Joyce”_

  
Claire smiled warmly at the letter, wondering just what those kids had in mind for her surprise. As she was setting the letter down on the table again, Edmund entered the room. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t exactly look angry either.

  
“Lucille has been taken care of. Mey-Rin bandaged her up pretty well, though it will definitely take time to heal.” He said as he walked up to Claire.

  
“That’s good; I’m sure she’ll heal quickly.”

  
Edmund kept glancing at Claire’s leg and arm and silently asked with his eyes if she was alright. “I’m fine,” Claire replied simply.

  
“At least let me look at your back.” Edmund said, and Claire sighed.

  
“Alright.” She turned over in the seat and slowly unbuttoned the top of her shirt. Edmund pulled her hair back and brushed his fingers over the rough skin with a pained expression on his face.

  
“I know you’re making that face again.” Claire said even though she couldn’t see him.

  
“It doesn’t hurt for you anymore, but it still does for us.” he whispered, taking his hand away and letting her hair fall back into place.

  
“You couldn’t do anything about it,” Claire said as she stood up. She brought up her hand to cup Edmund’s cheek and pulled him into a hug. They stayed like that for a few moments before Edmund softly pulled away.

  
“It’s nearly supper. You should head down.”

  
Claire nodded slowly and walked to the door. She took one last look at Edmund before the creek of the closing door made him turn away.


	13. Chapter 12

“Young Master, it is time to wake up.” Sebastian said as he opened the curtains to another rainy day. While it wasn’t as bad as yesterday’s thunderstorm, the earl was not pleased with the weather he would be traveling in. Ciel groaned when he woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

  
“Lady Benoit is already waiting downstairs with the carriage, so you’ll have to eat breakfast quickly, My Lord.” The butler brought out a small tray of English biscuits and sausage, and Ciel began to eat as the butler dressed up. Sebastian continued talking, “She says it will take about five hours to reach her mansion, and we apparently have ‘no time to waste.’” Sebastian obnoxiously imitated her French accent, and Ciel’s lip twitched with amusement.

  
“Earl, are you ready yet?!” Claire’s voice called outside the door angrily. Ciel began to rush to eat his breakfast and Sebastian rapidly tied his shoelaces. Both of them rushed to the door and opened it with a large “Whoosh!” The breeze hit Claire right in the face, poofing out her curly hair even more. “Ciel, what on earth-?!”

  
“Shall we be off, Lady Claire?” He said, already striding down the hallway with Sebastian right behind him. Claire blinked twice before quickly running to catch up to him.  
“Lucille is already waiting in the carriage and Edmund is driving. We only need to get in and then we’ll be off.” Claire commented as they walked down the stairs and out into the pouring rain. Sebastian ran to the carriage to open the door for the nobles, and Claire and Ciel shielded their heads as they rushed out into the heavy rain. Claire practically lept into the seat next to Lucille, and Ciel and Sebastian sat on the other side. Lucille tapped twice on the roof, loud enough for Edmund to hear and hit the reigns.

  
The coach started with a jolt, and the two Phantomhive residents hit their heads on the back of the carriage. “Ow!” they said at the same time. Lucille laughed. “You get used to it over time.”

  
Claire smoothed out her skirt as she got comfortable in her seat. She then leaned over and opened a small cabinet underneath her seat and pulled out a few books. “Does anyone want a book to read?” she asked, holding out a book to everyone. Lucille let out a squeal of excitement and took a blue-covered book with the title “Oliver Twist” in cursive handwriting out of Claire’s hands. Claire moved onto Sebastian, who held up his hand as a “No, thank you.” Ciel was last and he too shook his head no. Claire shrugged and picked out a book titled Mary Barton.

  
Ciel awkwardly stared at her for a few minutes while she read before turning his head to look out the window. He could see the Phantomhive mansion slowly fade in the misty rain, and he prayed Finny, Mey-Rin, and Bard wouldn’t be the next victims of the Raven if she were to attack again. Maybe the Raven would be their next victim though...  
“You look tense,” a voice jarred him out of his thoughts. He looked to see Claire staring up at him from her book, a curious look on her face. “Perhaps you miss your home already?”

  
Ciel’s lip twitched as he returned to looking out the window. “No, I’m just worried that those three idiots will destroy it while I’m gone.”

  
Claire smirked slightly. “I’m sure Finny wouldn’t hurt anything!” Lucille piped up, and Sebastian nearly snorted.

  
“He once killed off one of the trees in the yard, so we had to make a Japanese garden out of it.” Lucille gasped, then started giggling quietly. “There was also one time where Baldroy blew up the kitchen when he was trying to make a turkey.”

  
Claire laughed at this one. “Does he not know the difference between dynamite and charcoal?”

  
“Not at all.” Sebastian said, grinning evilly, and both Claire and Lucille were laughing.

  
Ciel’s eye twitched slightly,but even he couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Stop it, Sebastian. You’re making me look bad.”

  
Claire laughed louder. “Like the face you made when you saw me on the first day wasn’t enough!”

  
Ciel’s cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and Sebastian covered his mouth to keep from laughing. “What about that time you were practically drooling over that treacle pudding Baldroy served you?”

  
“You looked the same way with the strawberry short cake!”

  
Claire and Ciel bickered and teased each other for the next hour or so, and Lucille and Sebastian had to hold their sides to keep from laughing too hard. It finally ended with Claire’s snarky comment about Ciel’s “graceful” trip down the stairs when fighting the Raven. Claire: 1, Ciel: 0.

  
“So why do you live so far out in the country anyway?” Ciel asked, after Sebastian and Lucille got their last laughs out.

  
“Makes for good target practice when testing models for guns.” Claire crinkled her noise in disgust.

  
Ciel lifted an eyebrow at her expression. “I take it you don’t like them?”

  
“Not at all, they’re too heavy, and the noise they make will alert anyone within a ten miles radius to where they are.”

  
“So you prefer knives or swords?” Ciel asked, knitting his fingers together.

  
Claire rested her elbow on the armrest and held her head in her hand. “You could say that. Honestly I prefer swords over knives because you don’t have to get as close to your opponent to kill them.”

  
“Knives can be used just the same.”

  
Claire shrugged. “I still prefer swords.”

  
Lucille’s gasp drew their attention away from their conversation to the window outside. They hadn’t noticed the carriage had stopped outside a small forest, so dense and thick they couldn’t see to the other side. “We’re here!” Edmund called from the driver’s seat.

  
Sebastian exited the carriage first and held out a hand for Lucille, Ciel, and Claire. “What on earth is this?” Ciel asked as he got out.

  
“Remember how I told you nobody could ever find my mansion?” Claire said, and she gestured to the forest, “This is why.”

  
“You’ve got to be joking.”

  
“Not in the least.” She flashed him a quick grin and turned to the forest. “My father, who happens to be a very flamboyant man, also a little bit paranoid but not so much. He wanted a “dramatic” entrance, as he put it, for the Benoit mansion.”

  
“Thank god she didn’t inherit that trait.” Ciel muttered under his breath.

  
“You just don’t know her well enough yet,” Edmund said as he walked past him.

  
Ciel stopped for a second, staring after him. “You mean she did?!”

  
They walked through the forest for a few minutes, Claire leading them through. There was one moment where they needed to stop because Ciel got his coat stuck in a thorn bush, but Claire quickly smacked it away with her hand. ‘How the hell...?’ Sebastian thought when he saw no thorns in her hand whatsoever.

  
“We’re here.” Claire said when the forest trees were getting thinner and thinner. Ciel and Sebastian walked up to stand next to her, and they gasped at what they saw.  
The Benoit mansion was huge, even bigger than the Phantomhive mansion. Each one of its many windows was lit up, making the place look surreal and starry against the misty rain. The courtyard was small, but filled with gardens of many flowers and shrubs. Sebastian could even see a small playground set up off to the side.

  
“Gentlemen, welcome to the Benoit mansion.” Claire said proudly.


	14. Chapter 13

The inside of the mansion was even more grand than the outside. The main hall was large and glowing gold with the chandelier hung in the center of room. The tiles of the floor were clean and shining; everything seemed to be dusted properly. Marble columns rose up from the sides of the green carpeted staircase and on the wall of the second flight was the portrait of Claire’s family. Ciel had to marvel at the similarities between Claire and her mother. She has the same sharp cheekbones, black curly hair, and even their eyes were the same. But unlike Claire, she did not look as scary or frightening. She had a kind face and a beautiful smile.

  
Claire’s father didn’t look anything like her. He had platinum blonde hair and brown eyes, an odd contrast between colors. His face was almost impish, and he had a mischievous smirk on his face that made Sebastian think of a certain reaper he knew... He shivered.

  
Their attention was drawn away from the portrait when they heard the padding of feet and a loud bark sound from the side. Two very large dobermans were running the hall, their teeth bared at Ciel, but particularly Sebastian as well. Sebastian was all but ready to defend his master in case they attacked, but Claire stepped in front of both of them and held out her hand.

  
“Fureur, Peur, down.” she commanded, and the two dogs stopped in their tracks. Their expressions of hatred immediately swapped to joy when they saw their mistress, and they sat down obediently on their hinds legs as she commanded. Claire walked up to them and patted them both on the head and turned to Ciel, “Sorry, they don’t like strangers.”

  
“You named your dogs Fear and Fury?” Ciel asked, shocked.

  
Claire knelt down and put her hand on the head of the one standing left to her. “Most other dogs are afraid of this one.” She put her hand on the right one’s head. “And most other dogs want to fight with this one. So Fear and Fury are good names since they invoke both emotions on other dogs.”

  
“I’m pretty sure they invoke them on people too,” Sebastian muttered under his breath, glowering at the animals like they were some kind of alien.

  
“Do you want to fight the dog, Sebastian?” Ciel said snarkily as he walked up to the two dobermans, and Sebastian seriously contemplated taking the boy’s soul right then and there.

  
Fureur growled lowly when Ciel approached, but Claire quickly hushed him. Ciel took off his glove, extended his hand out for the dog to sniff and very carefully placed his hand on the dog’s head when Fureur offered no resistance. Claire raised her eyebrows, saying, “That’s the first time he’s ever let someone outside the family do that!” Ciel couldn’t help but feel smug.

  
Claire stood up, and at the same time Ciel let his hand fall back to his side. “Now, I just need to set up a few rules with you before you get all settled in. Rule number one: Don’t break or mess with anything. I’m saying this more to the butler than you, Ciel.” Ciel grinned evilly at the expression on Sebastian’s face. “Rule number two: no snooping in any of the rooms. You’re only allowed in your room, Sebastian’s room, my office, or if I grant access, my room.” Claire waved her finger at Ciel for this rule, and Sebastian snickered quietly. “And you’re especially not to go into the fifth room in the east wing.”

  
“And for the final rule, even though it’s more of just a warning: beware of the kids’ traps.”

  
“Traps--?” Ciel asked, but another voice cut him off.

  
“Ready, aim!” a squeaky high voice called, and the group could hear ropes being pulled back. Sixteen children jumped out from their hiding spots behind the pillars, all holding slingshots filled with round rubber balls. The tallest scrawny one held out a fake wooden sword, his thin lips wide with a mischievous grin. He pointed his sword at Ciel, Claire and Sebastian and yelled, “Fire!”

  
All sixteen slingshots went off at once, and the poor trio had no time to react. Ciel felt like he was being hit with a hundred pillows at once, and one well aimed ball knocked him right over. Claire was the next to go down and she landed right beside him. Sebastian, well, he just stood there and let the balls keep hitting him. Fureur and Peur went chasing after any of the balls that had missed, bringing them back to the kids so they could load again.

  
Ciel had been huddled in a fetal position when he went down, but he looked up when he heard Claire laughing. She was sprawled out right next to him on her back, and she squealed when a ball hit her right in the side. “I told you to beware the traps!” she said while laughing. Ciel couldn’t help but crack a smirk at the expression on her face.

  
After all the balls had been thrown at them, the scrawny boy yelled out next, “Attack!” Ciel felt the pounding of tiny feet and immediately got up. He grabbed Claire’s arm and pulled her up just in time to be attacked by vicious toddlers. Children tried to climb up on Sebastian, who looked like he really wanted to be as far away from these little devils as possible, and two five-year-old girls were hanging off Ciel’s arms. Claire let out an “Omfp!” when a six-year-old boy jumped onto her back.

  
“Hey who’s this guy anyway?” one of the kids asked, poking Ciel harshly in the side.

  
“Is he a pirate?” Another said.

  
“Why are you wearing such dark clothes?”

  
“Are you the weird guy Claire needed to see?”

  
“Are you a vampire?”

  
“I don’t know about him, but this butler guy looks like one!”

  
“Children, please!” Claire said, a small laugh escaping her lips.

  
“Miss Claire?” a soft, tentative voice cut through the chaos.

  
Every child immediately stopped what they were doing; the kids climbed off Sebastian, let go of Ciel’s arms, and the boy slid of Claire’s back. Ciel looked to see a small girl at the top of the staircase, one hand gripping the the railing carefully. She had skin the color of chocolate, and her frizzy black locks were tied up into two cute pigtails. She wore a dress of soft baby blue with an apron over it. While her eyes were set on the group at the bottom of the staircase, it didn’t seem she was actually focused on them. She was looking over their heads almost...

  
“Yes, Liesel?” Claire said, stepping away from the group and going up a few steps. The girl Liesel’s face lit up when she heard Claire’s voice, and she quickly began to make her way down the steps. She seemed to be struggling with where to place her foot next, holding onto the railing like a lifeline.

  
“You’re back! You’re finally back!” The girl squealed. Claire rushed up the steps before Liesel could get any farther and took her up in her arms. Liesel wrapped her arms around Claire’s neck, tears of happiness spilling down her cheeks. Claire gently rocked her back and forth as the other children slowly pulled away from Ciel and Sebastian and joined Claire and Liesel. Sebastian and Ciel glanced at each other.

  
It was an interesting scene for the two Phantomhive residents to witness. They had never seen this side of Claire before... kind, compassionate, gentle, motherly. For a moment, Ciel almost forgot why he once thought of this girl as the Queen’s Raven.

  
“Oh, I’m sorry--” Claire said as she turned back to Ciel and Sebastian. “Children, this is Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his butler Sebastian Michaelis.”

  
“Can I see them?” Liesel said, her eyes looking more at Claire’s forehead than her eyes.

  
“Of course you can,” the lady replied as she carried Liesel down the steps and set her down right in front of Ciel and Sebastian. When she got closer, Ciel could finally see her eyes were unfocused and almost milky. ‘She’s blind,’ he realized. Sebastian knelt to her level first.

  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Liesel. My name is Sebastian.” He bowed to the young girl and she curtsied back.

  
“A pleasure as well, Mr. Sebastian. If you don’t mind...” Liesel reached up and gently felt around until she found Sebastian’s face. She ran her hands along his jaw, gently feeling his nose and cheekbones.The butler chuckled a bit when she pinched his cheeks, and she giggled delighted. “You have very handsome features, Mr. Sebastian. A lot of girls must like you.” Ciel quietly snickered to himself, and Sebastian couldn’t help but think of Mey-Rin back home...

  
“Your turn, Ciel,” Claire said, and Ciel reluctantly knelt down in front of Liesel. He flinched a bit when her hand came in contact with his cheek, but he calmed down when he realized how gentle she was. Her eyebrows knit together when her fingers brushed over his eye patch and she asked, “What’s this?”

  
“An eye patch. I had to start wearing it after... after my mansion burned down.” Ciel said, stumbling over the word ‘burned.’ Claire’s eyes filled with both sympathy and pity, and absentmindedly she put on hand on the scar on her cheek.

  
“You seem younger than Miss Claire,” Liesel commented while holding his face in her hands.

  
“Yes, I’m three years younger than her.”

  
“I could tell. You’ve still got a bit of baby fat to your cheeks,” Liesel giggled while squishing his cheeks together. The other kids laughed behind Claire.

  
“Now, now, Liesel, don’t be rude to our guests.” Claire said as she pulled Liesel away from Ciel. “Aleksander, would you lead Liesel back to the kitchen? I’m sure Joyce is already there waiting for her.” The tall and scrawny leader took Liesel’s hand and the kids all walked with them out to a door off to the left. Claire grinned after them and waved back at a brunette girl who waved goodbye excitedly.

  
“Sorry about them. They get... overly excited when there’s a visitor.” Claire said to Ciel as he rubbed his cheeks.

  
“It’s fine; you should see Lizzy whenever I visit her,” Ciel replied.

  
“Which is not that often,” Sebastian commented.

  
Claire laughed softly. “Well, shall I show you to your rooms?”

  
“Of course,” Ciel said.

  
Claire walked a few more steps up the staircase and motioned to the duo. “Right this way please.”


	15. Chapter 14

Claire led them up to the west wing of the Benoit Mansion to two rooms right next to each other. She told them that the dining room was to the left of the main hall, and her office and bedroom were in the east wing. They were also free to visit the library on the third floor. She needed to take a quick phone call with a worker at the Benoit company, so Ciel and Sebastian were left by themselves.

  
Almost immediately after Claire left the room, Ciel turned to Sebastian. “Find out all you can about Claire from the servants. I’ll go to the library and search through the books. This is an order.”

  
Sebastian bowed and said his customary “Yes, my Lord” before exiting the room. This should be easy, right? There were servants everywhere, since the mansion was so large. Surely one of them would know a lot about Claire.

  
‘It would be too risky to ask either Lucille or Edmund... They’d be suspicious,’ Sebastian thought, ‘I need someone who’d be easy to trick into telling me. Someone...’  
“Mr. Sebastian?” a tiny voice interrupted his thoughts.

  
He turned quickly to see Liesel staring in the direction he was standing, carrying a basket full of laundry in her small arms. He sighed in relief seeing it was her and not any of the other kids.

  
“You startled me, Miss Liesel.”

  
The girl grinned as she heard his voice. “I recognized your footsteps down the hallway and came to see you, because I have a request to ask!”

  
Sebastian knelt to the girl’s level and asked, “What is your request?”

  
“Lady Claire told Mrs. Joyce and me that you were a really good cook. Mrs. Joyce is the main cook of the house, and she was wondering if you would help in the kitchen with her and me!”

  
“I’d love to help you, Miss Liesel.”

  
Liesel’s face broke out into a wide grin. “Thank you! I just need to get this laundry to Miss Lucille, but you can go to the kitchen right now.”

  
“There’s no hurry. I’ll go with you to see Lucille. Here...” He carefully plucked the basket out of her hands and held it himself.

  
“Oh, thank you, Mr. Sebastian! Now...” Liesel closed her eyes for a moment, her held tilting in the direction of soft footsteps in the distance. Sebastian was a demon, and he had to marvel at this girl’s incredible hearing. “I can hear Lucy’s footsteps that way,” she pointed down the hall. “She’s coming up the hidden staircase near the end of the guest’s quarters hallway.”

  
‘How in the world...?’ Sebastian thought.

  
Liesel began walking down the hallway, and the butler quickly followed after her. Sure enough, as soon as they walked outside of the guest hallway, a fake wall panel opened and Lucille walked out. “Miss Lucille! Miss Lucille!” Liesel called out as she ran over. Lucille looked surprised.

  
“Liesel? What are you doing up here?”

  
“Mrs. Joyce asked me to give this to you-” Sebastian held up the laundry basket with a half-smirk. “She found this basket near the kitchen all alone.”

  
“Well, I’ll take out this laundry to be washed.” Lucille said as she patted Liesel on the head and took the basket out of Sebastian’s hands. “Thank you for bringing it, Liesel. You too, Mister Sebastian.”

  
“You’re welcome,” Liesel and Sebastian said as she walked back into the secret staircase.

  
Liesel turned to Sebastian’s direction. “Ready to go to the kitchen?”

  
“Of course,” Sebastian said, and Liesel grabbed around until she found his hand. She started to lead him back down the hallway.

  
The kitchen was much nicer than the Phantomhive’s.

  
Of course, Sebastian kept the kitchen in top shape (unless Bard blew it up), but this place looked immaculate. The granite counter tops were sparkling clean and well-polished, and floors wiped clean of any mess. The room had a bright and lively feel to it, the walls painted sky blue and cabinets green like olives. An elderly plump woman was standing at the stove, chopping vegetables -- onions -- to put in a boiling soup. She had thin red hair that was graying at the side tied up into a bun, and her face, though old and wrinkled, was kind and gentle. The woman turned when Sebastian and Liesel entered and smiled warmly at them. ‘So this must be Mrs. Joyce,’ though Sebastian.

  
“Liesel, you’ve finished delivering the laundry already?” Joyce asked, wiping her hands off on her apron as Liesel ran over and gave her a tight hug.

  
The girl looked up proudly and said, “Of course I did! And I brought someone to help out in the kitchen~!”

  
Joyce looked over to Sebastian and held out her hand. “You must be Mr. Michaelis. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  
“Pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Joyce,” Sebastian said as he took her hand, “Is there anything you currently need help with?”

  
“Yes, actually!” Joyce pointed to a cabinet underneath the sink. “There are potatoes in that cabinet.” She then pointed to the empty pot next to the oven. “Could you boil some water in that pot and chop up the potatoes to make mashed potatoes?”

  
“Of course,” Sebastian replied as he opened the cabinet and pulled out about 3 potatoes.

  
“Liesel, could you help him peel them?” Joyce asked as she began to chop the onions again. The younger girl nodded.

  
The butler washed the vegetables under water for a few seconds before handing one to Liesel. Both of the servants began to carefully peel them with sharp knives. Sebastian watched as Liesel felt for the shape of potato so she would know where everything is. ‘This is truly a brilliant child,’ he thought, ‘Much better than Bard... Or Wolf was...’ A corner of his lip twitched with the memory of the German man, the inefficiency of his cooking... And this six-year-old girl was two times smaller and two times better than him!  
“Something wrong, Sebastian?” Liesel asked, her eyes still looking ahead of her.

  
“W-What?” Sebastian asked, startled by her question.

  
“Your peeling slowly down for a second, so I thought something might be wrong.”

  
“No, I was just thinking...”

  
“About what?”

  
Ah...

  
Sebastian felt his lips curl into a dark grin.

  
What a chance this was...

  
“I was just thinking about the portrait in the main hall,” He started, the lie slipping easily over his tongue like the millions of other that have already come and gone, “Mrs. Joyce, that was Lady Benoit’s parents in the portrait, correct?”

  
“Yes it was.” Joyce replied.

  
“I’ve been hearing quite a lot about Claire’s mother from the other servants of my household. She has a soft spot for the poor is the most common thing I hear about her...”  
“Oh yes, Lady Maria,” - So that was her name - “She always cared about the well-being of others. She would give jobs to the unemployed, and constantly donated to charities and would bring food to the soup kitchens. I think that was one of the reasons Lord Pierre loved her so much... Her compassion was overflowing.”

  
“She was the one to take me in when my parents came to the Benoit mansion door when they found out I was blind,” Liesel said, “She had given my mother food while she was pregnant with me, and they knew Lady Maria would help me if they asked.”

  
“She seems like a good human being.” Exactly the kind Sebastian hated. “Where is she now?”

  
Liesel immediately stopped peeling, her hand gripping the knife tighter. Joyce stopped stirring the soup and looked at Sebastian with a pained expression. A silence took over the room, and Sebastian had to wonder what was so bad about what he said.

  
“She’s dead.”

  
Liesel’s voice was little more than a whisper, her tone darkening.

  
Sebastian stared at the little girl, shocked at the rapid change of character. He looked over to Joyce as she began to stir the pot again. “She died of a fever when Claire was twelve, just a few months after Claire’s...” She took in a shuddered breath. “Claire’s accident.”

  
“You mean when she got that scar?” Sebastian asked.

  
“I think you should stop asking questions, Mr. Michaelis.” Joyce said sternly, her gaze sharp. “Claire has been putting a lot of effort to keep your master for being killed, including putting his needs before her own. It would be rude and very... very unwise for you to pry.”

  
“You’re quite right, Mrs. Joyce.” A familiar voice said from the door.

  
Edmund had his arms crossed as he leaned against the counter, his suspicious gaze set on Sebastian. The demon felt his heart ice over as he said, “To meddle in our affairs would be very unwise, as Mrs. Joyce has already said. I hope you aren’t trying to exploit Claire’s weaknesses, are you, Mr. Michaelis?”

  
Sebastian leveled a cool glare at the boy whose expression was equally as cold.

  
“Of course not...” He lied through his teeth. Edmund raised one eyebrow, catching on to the lie.

  
But to Sebastian’s shock, Edmund only shrugged. “Alright.” And he turned. And he left the room.

  
“I’m sorry for snapping at you, Mr. Michaelis,” Joyce said, startling Sebastian. “The subject of Claire’s past is not a bright one. We tend not to speak of it, so when someone does start asking questions, it is jarring to say the least.”

  
“My apologies; I did not mean to pry too much,” Sebastian answered.

  
And as Sebastian’s lies pile up more and more, another person in the mansion is searching deep into Claire’s past...


	16. Chapter 15

Ciel found the library right where Claire said it would be and entered the surprisingly small room. Yes, it was a small library, with a fireplace, a desk, and a few plush couches placed around the room. There was an entire wall lined with books, both thick and thin, and an upper floor with bookshelves you could get to by the ladder. There was also a piano, and Ciel remembered how he had once thought Claire played an instrument. He guessed this was the one.

  
He started looking through the shelves of books, searching for anything that tied with the Benoit family or Claire herself. In the bottom shelves he found a few children’s books with Claire’s name written in scribbling ink on the spine. Based on the condition of the pages and covers, she would read them a lot. ‘Maybe to all those little brats,’ Ciel thought, disdainfully remembering the sixteen children that jumped him and the others in the main hall.

  
He put the children’s books back on the shelf and decided to look at more of the thicker books on the shelves. A lot of them seemed to be books in French, and Ciel guessed they were from Claire’s parent’s time in France when they still lived there. Since he was pretty sure they lived there at some point.

  
Finally, he found something interesting when he found a travel journal made by Claire’s father. It started around 1876, about the time Claire was still a toddler. The book mainly talked about business, recording Lord Benoit’s business trip to Spain to discuss weapons trade. But surprisingly, Claire was in the book with him. Apparently Lord Benoit had taken Claire on his trip with him, and she joined him for all his meetings. He wrote about the expressed disapproval of bringing a young girl into strict business, and Lord Benoit completely brushed them off. “I want my daughter to have a firm understanding of how the world works around her, even if she has to act like she doesn’t in public,” he had written.

  
“You’re not going to find anything really important in the books.” A voice jarred Ciel out of his reading, and he nearly dropped the old journal. He turned to see Claire sitting on one of the couches, resting her elbow on the arm of the chair and holding a book with her other hand. Her mouth curled up in amusement at seeing the expression on Ciel’s face.

  
“How long have you been sitting there?” Ciel asked, a blush of embarrassment creeping up on his cheeks.

  
“I was in here since the moment you arrived. You just didn’t see me.” She pointed to her right eye, the side Ciel’s eye patch was on. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’ the boy thought.

  
“If you’re looking for something actually interesting...” Claire continued as she got up from the couch. She walked over to the bookshelf he was at a pulled a thick green book from one of the upper shelves. He tried not to laugh when he noticed she had to stand on her toes to reach the shelf. She handed the book to him. “This is a journal made by Mrs. Joyce, the cook. She was also my nanny when I was little, so she recorded pretty much all of my childhood.”

  
Ciel took the book cautiously into his hands. “How did you know I was looking for this kind of information?”

  
“Well, that’s a secret,” she teased, winking at him. Ciel felt his ears start burning.

  
Claire turned on her heel and began to walk out the room, but before she left she glanced back at Ciel and said, “By the way, supper is scheduled at 7:00, so please be there on time.”

  
He nodded, and she left the room. When he was sure she was completely gone, Ciel opened the journal from Mrs. Joyce.

  
_December 22, 1873_  
_It’s been a day since Lady Maria gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Claire. I have been charged with taking care of her with her mother while Lord Pierre is off on a business trip. Needless to say, the baby will be a good child. I was shocked when she opened her eyes for the first time and saw a great intelligence in them. She stopped crying almost immediately when put into her mother’s arms, and I could see the undying love Lady Maria had for Claire. It made my heart melt. And it melted even further when Lady Maria let me hold the child as well. I knew the moment her small hand closed around my finger she would grow up to be an incredible woman._

 

The rest of the journal entries in 1873 were talking about Lady Maria’s plans for Claire’s care and, to Ciel’s surprise, her weak health, so Ciel skipped ahead until he found an entry when Claire was three years old.

 

_February 17, 1876_  
_Claire has been growing fast. Her once constant illnesses are gone, and she has been a little ball of energy ever since. One thing she loves to do is run. There are some days where I’ll take my eyes off her for one second and next thing I see is her small form out on the lawn, chasing the dogs. She would do well to join a racing team sometime when she grows up._

  
_Her studies are difficult at such a young age, but she seems to enjoy all of them. Well, except for learning science, that’s the one thing she doesn’t like. Art is also a tad difficult for her. She loves reading though, and some days I’ll find her sleeping in the library, a half-read book in her hands._

 

Ciel got bored of reading the passage describing all of the things she would do in a day, and began skipping ahead. He stopped when he noticed Mrs. Joyce’s handwriting turned to quick scribbling and blots of ink. His eyes widened as he read further and further into the passage

 

_October 24, 1879_  
_Claire has been injured. the ere ws a picni c and she had wandered off to find some flower s for her mother and she ahd been attackeb by a wild animal there s blod so much blood her face no my dear claire_

  
_she’s at the hospital , i need to gett there immedaitely_

 

_October 25, 1879_  
_Claire is currently out of the hospital now. Both her face and back suffered great injuries, and she will be wearing her bandages for three months as the doctor said. But what I was focused on was the look in her eyes, the shaking of her hands as she took mine. She looked shell-shocked, and the screams that came that night only concluded that the experience had scarred her. When I got to the room, she was writhing in the bedsheets in a nightmare, and I saw blood dripping from the bandages on her back. She had reopened her wounds._

  
_I had to hold her still while the family physician re-bandaged the wounds. The two friends of hers, Lucille and Edmund, watched with eyes full of horror in the doorway. Lucille started crying._

  
_The piercing screams of the child rang through my ears for the rest of night._

 

Ciel shut the book before he could go any further, hastily putting it back on the shelf. It reminded him too much of that room, the scent of blood as the man in the mask killed another child. The pure terror he felt as the knife drew closer to his own chest.

  
He let out a shaky breath as the memory subsided, looked up, and noticed the clock. It read: 6:56.

  
He gladly rushed out of the library to meet Claire at supper.


	17. 16

The clock read 7:01 when he arrived.

  
Claire was already seated, along with Sebastian at one side (Ciel guessed the butler was sitting there because he was a guest as much as he was). The table had been filled with assorted dishes including roast pork, , mashed potatoes, a soup he couldn’t name, and hot dinner rolls. Both a teapot and a coffee pot were set on the table, and one of the servants quickly poured the tea into Ciel’s cup when he entered.

  
“One minute off. Not bad for your first time here.” Claire said as he sat himself down.

  
“I had to ask directions twice.” Ciel glared at her, but there was no real heat behind his gaze. She only laughed.

  
“I hope you didn’t ask the children, because they purposely will lead you in the wrong direction.” Ciel groaned. He’d asked the boy Aleksander first. Sebastian’s lip twitched in amusement.

  
“I heard you had a hand in preparing this meal, Sebastian.” Claire said, switching to a new topic as she took a slice of the roast pork with her fork and put it on her plate.  
“Indeed, I helped peel the potatoes with Liesel and roll out the dinner rolls,” Sebastian replied as he filled his plate as well.

  
The three of them mostly sat in silence as they ate, and while Ciel and Sebastian felt a little awkward, Claire seemed to be perfectly nonchalant. Both of them hadn’t seen Claire since they’d found out about what happened to her when she was little, and Ciel knew that she knew that he knew. So why wasn’t she saying anything...? Surely she would wonder what he thought about it.

  
Ciel cleared his throat to get her attention. “Clair- Lady Benoit-”

  
“Claire is fine.”

  
Ciel was startled to say the least. But he brushed it off quickly and continued, “Claire, why did you show me that book?”

  
Sebastian looked at him with a confused expression, and Ciel gave him a look that said ‘I’ll tell you later.’ Claire looked back at her plate as she buttered one of the dinner rolls. “I knew you had been suspicious about me in general. Why wouldn’t you be? I’m a strange girl who shows up to your house after you’ve nearly be assassinated, saying that I’ll be your guard under the Queen’s order for who knows how long, and it was quite obvious you thought I was the Raven.”

  
Ciel stared at her as she continued. “I saw the books you’d had in your bookshelf. I noticed my picture circle on one of the pages, and I knew you didn’t trust me. So I thought ‘What better way to show you I mean no harm besides showing you one of the worst secrets in my past?’ It took me years to get over those scars, both physically and mentally.” Her eyes bore into his own visible eye. “I can assure you Ciel, and Sebastian too, that I’m only here on the Queen’s orders. I mean no harm to either of you.”

  
Both Ciel and Sebastian were silent after she had finished speaking. Pulling the napkin from her lap, Claire stood, and Ciel and Sebastian followed suit. She smiled (Ciel noticed it was rather strained) and said, “I do believe I have lost my appetite. Continue with your meal. I shall be in my room.” And with that, she excused herself from the room.

  
Ciel and Sebastian looked at each other as they sat down. “What on earth was in that book?” Sebastian asked.

  
“A very large door into her past, including the way she got her scar.” Ciel said gravely.

  
“How did she?”

  
“A wild animal attacked her when she was young. The nurse Mrs. Joyce wrote down everything.”

  
“I heard her mother died from Mrs. Joyce as well.”

  
“What?” Ciel asked, his eyes widening.

  
Sebastian nodded. “Her mother died when she was fourteen. Some kind of fever...”

  
Ciel sat back in his chair, feeling numb.

  
“Do you remember one of the rules Claire said?” Sebastian asked.

  
Ciel looked up at him. “Which one?”

 

“The one about not going into a certain room in the mansion.”

  
Ciel’s brow knit together with confusion before it dawned on him. His stomach dropped. “Sebastian that would not be wise-”

  
“Why not?”

  
“Who knows what Claire’s reaction will be? What will she do if she finds us in there?”

  
“There’s obviously some kind of information in that room. Perhaps something that may lead to the Raven.”

  
The boy sat back. He couldn’t deny that possibility.

  
Slowly he let go of his iron grip on the chair and relaxed. Sebastian’s lip twitched with the ghost of a smirk as Ciel stood up. “You better be right about this.”

  
Sebastian stood as well. “I shall accompany you, sir-”

  
“No,” Ciel interrupted, “She’s already suspicious about you. If she sees you in there, she might send you back to the mansion. Go back to your own room.”

  
Sebastian opened his mouth to object, but he quickly closed it and squared his shoulders. “Yes, my Lord.”

 

* * *

  
He found the door right where Claire said it was. He could tell it hadn’t be opened in years, since the doorknob was tarnished and the wood looked old and faded. Muttering a silent wish that it would open, Ciel grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned. Surprisingly, it was open, and the hinges creaked as Ciel peaked inside the room.

  
Apparently the room hadn’t been used in years either. The curtains at the windows were frayed and in tatters. Dust covered all the furniture and floated in the air, and Ciel coughed as he walked inside. There was a vase of dead flowers by the bed, all the petals shriveled and fallen on the nightstand. The wide mirror was covered in black spots and was broken into pieces. Ciel noticed a hairbrush on the floor in the midst of shattered glass.

  
Slowly he walked around the room, searching for any type of clues in the midst of the dust and dirt. While walking near the dresser, he noticed two items sitting atop it. One was a small picture frame, and inside was a picture of Claire smiling brightly. Ciel was shocked, because he’d never seen her smile like that. She almost seemed like a different person.

  
Wait...

  
She was a different person.

  
Ciel’s gaze fell down to the small child in “Claire’s” arms. Curly black hair tied into pigtails, gray eyes that glinted mischievously as if she were planning a great joke on someone. That was Claire. The smiling woman, however, was Maria Benoit, back when she was still alive.

  
The second item was a small book sitting next to the picture. When Ciel brushed the dust away, he could just make out the words “Maria’s Scrapbook” written on the cover. Quickly he picked up the book and started flipping through the pages. It didn’t lead to the Raven, but it did lead to Claire’s past. A part Ciel still hadn’t learned about.

  
The book started out with wedding pictures from the day Maria and Pierre got married, and so after that baby pictures of Claire began to show up. From her toddler years to her early teens, everything was photographed and on some there were little notes describing what it felt like at that moment when Maria saw Claire doing the things she loved. Ciel let in a sharp breath when he flipped to a page where Claire had a large bandage on one side of her face. It was a picture of her while she was in London with her family. This was the only picture where she wasn’t smiling.

  
Soon the pictures began to dwindle, and the book stopped suddenly on one of the last pages. Ciel realized this was when Maria died. He flipped through a few more of the pages. Surely there must be something more in the back of the book. It wouldn’t just end like this.

  
Finally he came across a small note on the very last page, written in Maria’s handwriting.

  
‘I love you, Claire.’

  
Ciel held the book in his hands for a few moments longer, thinking. But while he was so deep in thought, he didn’t notice the figure standing in the hallway. He didn’t notice her quietly step in the room as if not to disturb him. He didn’t notice the hate, betrayal and pain deep in her grey eyes when she looked at him.

  
But he did hear her say, “What are you doing in here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you all just see that because I will NOT be doing that again
> 
> omgggg that was a long chapter to write
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!! because the next one is going to be painful


	18. chatper 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciel's being a brat, and Claire is shutting everyone out.

“What are you doing in here?”

Ciel jumped when he heard the dark voice and dropped the scrapbook. He turned to see Claire standing in the doorway, her face illuminated by the candle in her hand. Her expression was fierce and filled with rage, and he noticed her knuckles were white from holding out the candle so tightly.

“Claire, I can explain-” He started.

She grabbed the front of her shirt before he could finish. “I don’t want any explanations. I want you OUT.” she shouted the last word, and Ciel flinched and closed his eyes, thinking she was going to punch him. He dared to take a glance at her; He saw only pain in her face.

So much pain.

Claire dragged him to the door by his shirt collar. He stumbled and fell when she shoved him out, only to hear her yell again. “Get OUT OF HERE and DON’T THINK ABOUT COMING BACK!!” Ciel could only stare at her as her entire small form trembled with both grief and rage. “What are you waiting for?! GO!” Her voice cracked when she said the word “go,” and the young earl noticed tears threatening to spill from her eyes. That was the only excuse he need to jump from the ground and run down the hallway. 

He didn’t stop until he’d nearly reached his room until Sebastian abruptly stopped him. “Young Master, what happened?” He said as he stooped down to check Ciel all around. When he saw that the young master wasn’t harmed, Sebastian stood up again.

“Claire, she... She saw me in her mother’s room. She threw me out.” Ciel leaned against the wall as he tried to regain his breath and stop the fierce beating of his heart. “Damn, I messed up... I should’ve sent you.”

“Then she would’ve found me in that room instead, and the consequences would be far worse.” 

Ciel was silent as he processed the statement. What consequences would he face? Claire couldn’t kick him out, that was for sure, but he also knew she couldn’t let him get away with snooping around her deceased mother’s room. He didn’t even bother to look back to see what she was doing when he oh so cowardly ran away from the scene.   
‘Damn it...’ he thought, the urge to punch the wall in frustration tempting. Ciel had finally earned the trust of Claire Benoit, only to see it slip through his fingers the instant he had any doubt about her. He should’ve know there’d be no way she would hide any important Raven-related information in an abandoned room. She was too clever for that.

“We’ll see what those consequences are in the morning.”  
__  
In another part of the mansion, Claire sat alone in a bare room, the only decoration besides the mirrors on the walls a large black piano at which she sat at. She wasn’t playing the piano, only staring at the black and white keys with her mother’s scrapbook in her arms. Her knuckles were white with how tightly she was clutching it, and she paid no attention to the tears softly streaming down her cheeks.  
__  
Ciel didn’t see Claire the next day.

Or the next... or the next...

He knew she was purposefully avoiding him because every time they ever made eye contact in the hallways Claire would quickly brush him off, her eyes falling to the floor and staying there until he passed. She didn’t even come to dinner, and had Edmund explain she had too much work to attend to instead. As if he couldn’t guess the real reason she wasn’t there.

So far there’d been no consequences for him besides the cold shoulder, and that confused him. 

“And she hasn’t said anything to you at all about it?” Sebastian said after Ciel had been talking about it to him.

“Nothing! She barely even looks at me anymore; let alone talk to me.” Ciel fell back into the chair behind him and sighed.

“Perhaps you need to go to her on the issue, instead of the other way around.”

The earl groaned as he rubbed his temples. “How am I supposed to go to her when she spends all her time in that accused office of hers? She said she’d only allow us inside if she gave permission.”

“Then get someone else to request permission for you.” Sebastian said, growing impatient.

“Fine!” Ciel said as he threw his hands in the air. He stormed out of the room with Sebastian in tow. He knew exactly which person to use to get to her.

\---

“Liesel, would you be a dear and find Edmund for me?” Joyce said as she poured sugar into a large bowl and cracked a few eggs. The blind girl was all to happy to run off to find the older boy, but when she went into the hallway, she was stopped by another person when she felt a hand on her shoulder

“Earl Phantomhive,” Liesel squeaked, recognizing the hand’s shape and form. “M-May I help you?” While Liesel had quickly gotten used to Sebastian and his odd tendencies, but the girl had never felt comfortable with the Earl around. She always felt there was something off about him, like there was some type of evil lurking in his shadow. If only she knew that evil was Sebastian...

“Yes actually,” Ciel said, and Liesel noticed that while his voice was supposed to be kind and gentle, it seemed strained. As if kindness didn’t agree with him. “I was looking for a book that Claire had shown me earlier, but it was nowhere in the library. I thought maybe she had taken it to her office, and I’m not allowed in there. Could you get it for me?”

There was a nervous feeling in Liesel’s chest, and it was one of those moments she wished she could see a person’s face to tell if they were lying. Sadly, she could only hope that he was telling the truth. “O-Of course! Right this way, please,” she motioned down the hallway.

Only after they started walking did she realize Sebastian was with them. Why was he there as well?

\---

Ciel watched as the blind Liesel efficiently lead them down the hallway and straight up to the door to Claire’s office. He took a deep breath when Liesel knocked on the door twice and Claire answered. “Who is it?” Her voice was muffled behind the door, but he could still hear the strain in it, as if she hadn’t spoken since the day she drove of Ciel from her mother’s room.

“It’s me, Miss Claire. It’s Liesel.” the little girl said.

There was a moment of silence from the other side, and Liesel called for her again. Ciel thought for a panicked moment she would say no. But slowly, he heard her footsteps as she neared the door and quietly unlocked it. The door began to creak open, but Claire stopped as soon as she made eye contact with sapphire-eyed boy. Liesel ran into the room before the door began to shut.

Sebastian quickly caught the door before Claire could swing it shut and opened it wide. She backed into the room with Liesel clutching her skirt as Ciel and the butler entered. “Claire-” Ciel started.

“Get out.” Claire hissed, and Liesel’s grip on Claire’s skirt tightened. “You are not allowed in here.”

“Well, too bad. We need to talk.” Ciel walked a step closer to her, and she backed up again. Sebastian closed the door and locked it.

“About what? You deliberately disobeying my orders? You-... You waltzing into my past like you owned it?!”

“You showed me part of your past!”

“The part I wanted you to see!” She turned away from him and clawed a hand through her tangled curls. “You were not meant to see that room!”

“Why?!” Ciel shouted back as he took another step forward. Claire’s back hit her desk. Her gaze darkened when she realized she was basically trapped. She glanced quickly at Sebastian, then at the small Liesel still holding on tightly. Tears were beginning to fill up in her blind eyes.

“Unlock the door and let Liesel out first.” she said to Sebastian. 

“No, I want an answer-” Ciel began to say.

“Not with her in here!” Claire snapped. “Just open the door!” 

Sebastian reluctantly opened the door and Claire carefully guided her through the surprisingly cluttered space. “Go find Mrs. Joyce, Liesel,” she said gently as she kissed the young girl’s forehead. Sebastian shut the down quickly before Claire could make any attempt at an escape. 

Claire walked back to her desk and sank into the chair. She rubbed her forehead with one hand, looking as if in defeat. Ciel carefully sat himself down in the chair across from her desk, trying not to provoke the girl. Sebastian simply stood in the back of the room, on guard in case Claire lashed out.

“Why...” Ciel said slowly, “... won’t you let anyone into that room?”

“I think you already know, Earl Phantomhive.” Claire hissed. The use of a formal name made Ciel wince. “Which is why I see no reason for you being here.”

“I know your mother died.” Claire let out a dry, humorless laugh. “I also know you loved her, and are probably still not over her death-”

“Wow, you’ve already figured it all out!” the lady growled sarcastically, “You can leave now.”

“Dammit, Claire, I’m-” Ciel tried to say. Claire held up her hand weakly, as if she didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore.

“Just leave already.” She whispered. “Please...”

Ciel hesitated. There was a moment of silence while Ciel thought about whether he should leave or just continue to pressure Claire into talking. Finally, he got up angrily from the chair and walked out the door as Sebastian held it open for him. Sebastian took once last look at Claire, who had turned away from the duo, and dutifully closed the door.

\---

Now Ciel began to purposefully avoid Claire. 

And pretty much everyone else in the mansion.

He would stay in his room for hours, either reading or pacing around. The only times he ever really left were for meals or if he needed to go to the bathroom. Sebastian had taken to staying away from other servants too, who would give him dirty looks every time they passed him in the halls; only Liesel and Joyce talked to him now. 

Ciel knew his behavior was childish at most, but his pride refused to let him forgive Claire for shutting him out. Of course, it was his fault for doing so, but she didn’t have to react in such a bad way. If she was going to ignore him, then he was going to do the same to her.

God, when would this damn guardianship end and he could go home finally?


	19. chapter 18

A few nights after Ciel had confronted Claire, he laid awake in his bed, somehow unable to find any rest. He kept staring up at the blank ceiling as he tried thinking of anything that’d pull his attention away from the night Claire’ found him in her mother’s room. He started thinking about music, and the piano that was in the library. The memory of the piano brought his thoughts back to Claire again and he cringed. 

He could hear a piano playing a soft, far-away tune, and only after a few moments did he realize someone was actually playing the piano and it wasn’t in his head. He got out of his bed and lit a candle, slowly opening the door to peek outside. When saw no one else in the hallway, he exited the room and began to walk to the source of the music.

Ciel followed the music near Claire’s room, but he couldn’t hear it coming from the other side of the door. Walking a few more paces down the hallway, he came across a large tapestry with the Benoit family crest stitched into it. He put his hand against the wall and felt the vibrations of the instrument from the other side. Pulling the tapestry away revealed a plain door slightly ajar, and light spilled from the small crack. Ciel carefully opened it a little further to see inside.

It was a small, undecorated room, and instead of windows there were large mirrors on one wall. Ciel guessed that it was some type of dancer’s studio. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bar by the window, one a ballerina would use for practice. A large black piano contrasted greatly with the pale walls, a black spot against the stark white.

Someone was sitting at that piano too. 

Ciel watched as Claire’s fingers dance over the keys in a rapid melody, her eyes, which he could see through the reflection of the mirrors, shut in concentration. Though while the movements were quick and well-practiced, Ciel could hear her anger in every note. She pressed on the keys too hard, movements rigid and taunt. What he thought was concentration on her face was actually pent-up frustration.

She stumbled over a note, and the angry melody fell apart. In a short fit of rage she slammed her hands on the keys, and created a sound so awful Ciel covered his ears. When he looked up again, he saw Claire hunched over the piano, her shoulders shaking. Was she... crying?

Tentatively, he walked into the room and set his candle down somewhere on the floor. He walked over to the piano and sat down next to Claire. He was sure she had known he was there from the minute he peeked in through the door, but she made no move against him. Her hair covered her face from him, but he could still see the small tear droplets on the piano keys. 

Ciel placed his fingers on the keys and slowly played a few notes of “London Bridge.” He knew he sounded awful, considering he barely knew how to play the violin let alone a piano. But that didn’t stop him as he continued the nursery rhyme. 

Claire slowly lifted her head to watch him play. Her face held no emotion as she brought up her own fingers to the keys and played a light melody to the main notes. Ciel glanced over at her and tentatively played another four notes. She continued. He started playing the entire song again and Claire joined him this time, creating a wonderful tune that sounded much better than the original song.

The song ended, and the room was filled with silence. Ciel dared look over at Claire again. She was staring at her hands on the keys, her face void of emotion. He held his breath, wondering what she going to do.

“Do you want to know the full story?” Claire said, her voice hoarse from misuse.

“What?” Ciel furrowed his brow.

“The story of how and why my mother died. Will you have it, Ciel?”

Slowly, he nodded his head.

Claire turned so that she was facing him and began. “My mother used to go out frequently during the night when I was little. I never knew where she went, but she’d come back sometime in the morning with a bright smile on her face like nothing ever happened. When I grew a little older, I believed she was having an affair and took to finding out the truth of the situation. Little did I realize it was the opposite of the situation.”

She looked down as she continued. “I asked her about it when she had just started getting sick. I thought, maybe when she was visiting the man she had caught something, and that was what I asked. She told me that was not what was happening during the night. That she had a much worse secret that she kept from me.”

There was a few seconds of silence as Claire looked away and began twisting the ring around her finger. “What... was it?” Ciel asked cautiously. Claire looked at him, looked down, and looked back up.

“She was the Queen’s Raven...” Claire said, and she immediately bit down on her lip and looked away again. Ciel felt the hairs on the back of his neck prick up.

“Your mother was the Queen’s Raven? The mother that saved all those children... was the Raven?” Claire nodded her head.

“My mother firmly believed in justice for all people. For those who were unjustly cast out and shunned, she would give them a chance no one else would. And... for those who did evil and illegal things, she would punish them accordingly.”

“And that is the morale of the Queen’s Raven?” Ciel asked. “Punish the evil and promote the good?” 

“The ‘promote the good’ part is more of my mother’s morale, but yes... Punish the evil is the one goal of the Raven.” Her eyes glinted darkly as she stared at him. “Which has always made me wonder what it was that you did to make the Raven attack you. Will you tell me, now that I’ve told you about my mother?”

Ciel sucked in a sharp breath. He paused, looking down at the piano keys. “It was... What I did was...”

Claire placed her hand on top of his, startling him. He looked back at her, and her eyes held nothing but sympathy. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I understand.” He stared at her hand, the same size as his, and slowly nodded his head.

“I understand now too.”


	20. chapter 19

Things resumed to normal after that night.

Neither Claire nor Ciel ignored each other, and in fact, they spent their days similar to how they’d spent them in the Phantomhive mansion (The roles were reversed however). Claire would work in her office and Ciel would sit in there with her, either reading or helping her with work. Most of the time however, there would be a few children in there with them, playing with the dollhouse or, for the small and young ones, taking a nap on Claire’s lap (Liesel did it the most). 

Ciel was out with Aleksander and the older children when they asked him to play with them (Claire could tell he’d be regretting the decision later), and Claire was for once alone in her office. She was looking through the mail that had come today when one letter caught her eye. It was small, a thin little thing that she probably wouldn’t have noticed without the large red seal stamped onto it. The Queen’s seal. She ripped open the letter and read over over it once, twice, until the information finally sank in.

Nearly toppling the chair over with how fast she got up, she raced out into the hallway to find Ciel.

\---

‘I swear, these children are little demons-- Every single one of them!’ Ciel thought to himself as one ginger toddler tried to crawl up his leg again. He quickly shook her off and sat down in the middle of the nursery. While Ciel was spending perfectly quiet time with Claire and Liesel in Claire’s office, the brat Aleksander had asked Ciel to come play with him and the fourteen other children. Worst mistake of his life. He may own a factory dedicated to children’s toys and candies, but there was no way he would actually DEAL with kids. The excitable energy Lizzy had was nothing compared to these midgets. 

He ducked as a paper plane came sailing towards his face and moved out of the way as Aleksander ran after it. Grumbling to himself, he stealthily crawled towards the door to the hallway and rushed out. Ciel let out a sigh of relief to be out of the loud room and went to go find Sebastian. He was still thinking about what the butler had said the night Claire caught him. Why did he think Claire would’ve caught him? It was unlike the demon to think a human could be able to catch him. He obviously thought something was off about Claire. And Ciel wanted to know.

“You called?” Sebastian said as he suddenly appeared next to Ciel. The boy jumped.

“I want to know something. Is there something supernatural about Claire?” He asked.

“No.” Sebastian replied. “She is completely human. And yet, some qualities about her almost seem inhuman...”

“What do you mean?”

“You recall the time you fought her as a test, correct?” When Ciel nodded, he continued, “You thrust out your sword to her and she dodged so that her back was parallel to the blade. I noticed that when she saw the blade so close to her back, her expression turned fearful. She moved faster than I’d ever see a human do when she knocked the sword out of your hands.”

“I do remember that bit. I thought it was just part of her impressive swordsmanship.”

“I thought so too at first, but then I saw her again when the Raven attacked you two. Well, I heard her to be exact. The Raven had thrown a knife from the rafters, correct? If she did it at the speed where the knife would actually whistle as it flew, there would have been no way Lady Benoit would’ve been able to block it in time if she hadn’t heard it the moment it left the Raven’s hand.”

“So you’re saying she has superhuman senses?” Ciel asked, his brow furrowing.

Sebastian looked down at him. “Not superhuman, just extremely high-tuned.”

The butler whipped his head around when he heard the sound of footsteps at the end of the hallway. Ciel turned too. “Speak of the devil.” He muttered.

Claire came rushing up to them, a small letter in her hand. She was panting heavily as she handed it to Ciel, and bent over her knees after he’d taken it. “News... from the Queen!” she said in between pants. Ciel ripped it open in a second, and both butler and earl read it quickly.

My Dear Boy and Little Sparrow,  
We have recent news that the false Raven has finally been caught. She is now being held in custody and no longer a threat to you, Earl Phantomhive. Lady Benoit, you are finished with your duties as guardian, and both of you can return to your normal lives. I’m so happy for you both.  
Sincerely,  
Victoria

Ciel read over it again as he tried to process what the Queen was saying. The fake Raven was gone. He could go home. Claire was no longer his guardian. Everything had been taken care of.

He looked at Claire; she was smiling at him, immense relief in her eyes. “You’re safe now. You can go back home.” Claire pulled him into a hug. “It’s all over.” Ciel froze when Claire hugged him. It was a rare occurrence for anyone to ever hug him, and he wasn’t used to the feeling. But slowly, he hugged her back. 

They both pulled away after a moment. Slowly, the relief began to dissipate and confusion filled Ciel’s head. “What do we do now?”

“You go back to your mansion, and I stay here.” Claire shrugged, but Ciel could see a hint of sadness behind her eyes.

“Yes, but... Will I ever see you again?”

“Maybe someday...” Claire smiled again, but it seemed strained.

Ciel let his arm drop, and something fell out of the small letter. “What’s this?” Sebastian said as he picked it up.   
He read the few sentences that were written on the paper.

I also enclosed two invitations to an upcoming masquerade ball being held in two days. I thought you could celebrate the end of the Raven with music and dancing!  
Sincerely,   
Victoria

“She invited you two to a ball?” Sebastian looked back up at the two nobles, who both had confused expressions on their faces. Claire snatched the invitations out of his hand and read over them. Sebastian handed Ciel note the from the Queen so he could read it.

“It’s being held in a music hall near London. Two days from now at 7:00 p.m.” Claire said.

“Do you want to go?” Ciel asked.

“Sure, but we’ll need masks. Do you know any place where we could get some?” Claire tilted her head to the side.

Ciel’s lip twitched a little when an idea came into his head. He tapped his chin as he said, “I happen to know someone who could custom make them for us...”

“Really? Who?” Claire asked.

\---

“Nina Hopkins’ Tailor Shop?” Claire said as the trio stood out in front of the shop, just about to go inside. “So this Nina Hopkins can make the masks for us?”

“Of course. I’ve already called ahead with the order; she just needs our facial measurements and she’ll probably be done in five minutes.” Ciel said as he walked up to the door. Sebastian held it open for them while they walked in. “Though I should warn you... She has what you could consider... an overbearing personality.”

Claire fixed her glove and smirked. “If I can handle sixteen children, I can handle her.”

“Bonjour! What can I do for you, custo- Earl Phantomhive!” The brunette woman said as she walked out from one of the dressing rooms. She quickly ran over an hugged the small boy, much to his annoyance. Claire snickered. Nina heard the girl and looked over. A small squeak came out of her mouth and she nearly tossed Ciel out the way to grab Claire by the shoulders. “Earl, who is this?!?!”

“This is Lady Claire Benoit, my previous guardian,” Ciel said as Sebastian helped him up.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Hopkins,” Claire smiled warmly at the tailor.

“Oh my, what an absolutely beautiful young lady friend you have made, Earl Phantomhive! I’m impressed~!” Nina winked at Ciel. Both Claire’s and his face turned bright red.

“It’s not like that!” They said at the same time.

“Come, come! I must take your measurements, Lady Benoit. I can already tell Earl Phantomhive hasn’t changed a bit since I last saw him,” Nina said as she shooed Claire into one of the back rooms. Ciel glared at her.

“Wait, why am I going back here if you only need my facial-” Claire began.

“Hush!” she interrupted, pulling the curtain closed and leaving Ciel and Sebastian alone in the main room.

They could hear Nina’s muffled comments while she measured Claire, most usually involving something about Claire’s amazing proportions. A few minutes later, they came out again. Claire looked tired as hell, but Nina was beaming.

“This is perfect! Forget only making the masks; I’m going to design both your outfits too!” Nina exclaimed, already grabbing bunches of fabrics and thread, “The inspiration.. It’s overflowing!!! I just have to make something!!”

She pointed at Ciel, “The masquerade outfit of the earl will be a navy blue tailcoat with a grey vest underneath, and matching trousers with high black boots. His hat will have a navy blue ribbon wrapped ‘round it with a bow in the back. His mask will be black with blue crystals imbedded in swirling patterns near the corners of the eyes.”

She pointed to Claire, “The Lady Claire will had a off-the-shoulder dark, forest green dress with swirling black beads on the bodice. Pickups and a train will fan out on the back along with a large bow at the waist. She with have a small black hat near the front with black roses accentuating it. There will also be a rose in the middle of the bodice. Her mask will look similar to a birds, with green crystals framing the eyes.”

After she was down, she immediately went to work on them, her fingers flying fast with the scissors.

“Really, you don’t have to go to such trouble-” Claire said.

“Nonsense! With proportions like yours, it would be a sin to not make a dress for you!” Nina exclaimed as she grabbed Claire by the shoulders yet again.

“When do you think you’ll be done with them?” Sebastian asked, breaking Nina’s excitement.

“About a day at most,” she sniffed, her entire mood changing instantly. “I’ll have them shipped to your mansion by tomorrow, Earl Phantomhive.”

“Perfect timing, then,” Claire said, a small grin on her face.

“Thank you for notifying me. Ah, how much for the outfits?” Ciel asked.

“Ah yes, how much will that dress be?” Claire commented too.

“You only need to pay for the masks; the outfits are my treat~!” Nina said, winking at them.

“What a generous offer! Thank you, Miss Hopkins,” Claire said.

“Anytime~! Also, if you ever need another dress or two, you can always come to me!”

Sebastian held open the door for the both of them as they exited the store. “Well, she sure was interesting.” Claire said.

“You have no idea.” Ciel smirked at her. “So, I shall see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there at 5.” Claire said as she got into her carriage and closed the door. Ciel waved as it made its way down the cobblestone street back to the Benoit mansion.


	21. chapter 20

The packages arrived just an hour before Claire rang the doorbell at the Phantomhive mansion.

“Welcome back, Lady Benoit.” Ciel said wryly as she walked in. Claire’s lips formed a smirk as she dipped into a quick cursty.

“Always a pleasure to be back here, Earl Phantomhive,” Claire replied. 

“Here’s your dress,” Ciel said as he handed her the large box, “You remember where your room was, correct?”

Claire snorted, “Of course, I do! Come along, Lucille.” She motioned for the lady’s maid to follow her as she rushed up the stairs down to her old room. “We’ll hopefully be out in only a little while!”

Ciel smirked a little before he turned to Sebastian. “We should get ready ourselves.”

\--

Ciel sat on the edge of his bed as Sebastian laced up one of his new boots, the only thing left besides his mask. After he was done, the boy walked over to the dresser and took off his eyepatch. Nina had been kind enough to black out the hole where his right eye would have shown, so he didn’t need to worry about putting on the eyepatch under his mask. It fit perfectly when he put it on. The vest and tailcoat fit perfectly as well, and honestly Ciel thought it was one of the nicest things he’d ever owned. Nina outdid herself yet again.

“You look dashing, Young Master,” Sebastian said teasingly.

Ciel’s face flushed pink as he turned to the door. “Let’s just go.”

They walked out to the main hall to wait for Claire. So far, there was no sign of her. Ciel guessed she was still getting ready with Lucille. He had taken a peak at the dress while waiting for Claire to arrive, and he knew that thing would be difficult to to put on. Seemed like Nina spent a lot of time putting every detail into that gown. Though, the earl still had yet to see the mask Claire would be wearing since it was covered up in layers of wrapping paper.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t take her too long to get ready, or they were going to be very late.

\---

“How much more do we have to do this?” Claire groaned as Lucille pulled another string tighter on her corset. She absolutely despised wearing the awful cages, but the dress Nina had sent required her to wear one. There was more than one moment where Claire would peak at the dress from the corner of her eye and think repeatedly, ‘It’s only one night; it’s only one night...’

“Just a few more strings, Claire. Quit being such a baby.” Lucille said, pulling another string tighter. 

“I just want to get this thing on already. Ciel’s probably waiting downstairs.” 

“Well, he’ll have to wait a little bit longer, because you’re not going anywhere.”

Claire sighed, and glanced a the mask sitting on the table. It was beautiful, just as Nina has described it would be. Carefully she picked it up and brushed her fingers over the imbedded green jewels. Looking back up into the mirror, she held up the mask so it covered her eyes. It felt good to be wearing this kind of mask... It was so rare that she ever got to wear something like this...

“And, we’re all done!” Lucille exclaimed as she tied the strings of the corset together. Claire sighed in relief and walked to where the dress was laid out on the bed. She put the mask next to it and delicately picked up the fabric, afraid she was going to rip it. “It’s gorgeous...” Lucille said, and Claire smiled at her.

“It’s a shame I might never wear it again...”

Lucille looked over at Claire and saw sadness in her eyes. The maid frowned, worried even though she understood what Claire was thinking, and walked to stand next to Claire. “Tonight is like all the others... Remember that, Claire.”

The lady sighed. “I’m so tired of it, Lucy.”

“I know, but someday you won’t have to do it anymore.” she said as she hugged her friend. Claire hugged her back, her hands trembling.

Carefully, she pulled away and tried to smile cheerfully. “Well, we should get this thing on already, right?” Lucille gave her a sad smile before picking up the dress and pulling it over Claire’s head.

\--

“Where on earth is she? We’re going to be late!” Ciel said as he was pacing around the main hall. It have been nearly thirty minutes since he’d came down to wait for her and still she hadn’t finished getting ready.

Sebastian smirked a little and the young boy’s anxiousness. “That dress was incredibly intricate, Young Master. It would be difficult to put on. Not to mention she’d also have to put on her corset, brush her hair, apply makeup-” 

“Oh, shut up,” Ciel interrupted. He checked the clock again and saw it was nearly 7:45. If they didn’t leave now, they would be late.

“I’m here; we’re all ready!” Ciel could hear someone call faintly from the west hallway. The sound of high heels approached at a brisk pace, and Claire and Lucille came into view at the top of the staircase. 

Ciel had to do a double-take when he saw Claire. The only other time he’d seen her dressed like this was the first time they met, when he believed she was the Raven and he hated her for it. Now, as a friend, he couldn’t help but wonder at how beautiful she looked. The dress Nina made fit her perfectly, both body and personality. Her hair was tied up into a bun with a green ribbon, her loose bangs framing her sharp cheekbones. The bejeweled mask made her eyes appear to have a pale green hue to them. She smiled at him, and her whole face seemed to light up under the chandelier.

When she made it to the bottom of the staircase, she twirled, letting the green skirts fan out around her. “What do you think?” she asked.

“You look...” Ciel started, his mouth hanging open. “Y-You, uh...”

“I believe the word my master wishes to use is ‘beautiful,’ Lady Benoit.” Sebastian cut in, his mouth curled up in a smirk. Ciel sputtered a little bit before nodding quickly.

Claire’s smile widened. 

“I believe you should get going before you end up late,” Lucille said, pointing to the clock. It read 7:54.

Claire gasped lightly before grabbing Ciel’s hand. “We should hurry!”

Ciel nodded again. “Right, let’s be off.” Both of them stepped outside into the night’s air. The carriage was already waiting outside. Sebastian followed the two nobles and opened the door for them as they got into the carriage. Ciel glanced at the butler and then at Claire. Claire seemed to understand. “Sebastian, you get in here too.” she said. Sebastian blinked, expecting the lady to protest or argue, but he got in and sat next to Ciel anyway. Ciel tapped his cane on the room and the driver took off.

“It’s been quite a while since either of us have gone to ball.” Claire said while the carriage rode on. She couldn’t seem to wipe the smile off her face, though Ciel noticed it looked strained.

“About two months, if I’m correct,” Ciel replied. Neither of them had gone out since the Raven attacked Ciel at the ball.

“Yes, you’re right.” Claire said. “Did you go to balls, often before that?”

“No, not at all. The only balls I ever go to are the one’s where my fiance Elizabeth insists I go to. Or if it is required on a mission.” 

Claire looked up at him. “You never told me you have a fiance.”

Ciel glanced away nervously. “Her name is Elizabeth Midford--”

“Wait, Lizzie?!” Claire exclaimed.

Ciel’s head whipped around to stare at her in shock. “You know her?”

“Of course! We went to fencing practices together when we were younger.” Claire said, her eyes filling up with old memories, “We were the only two girls in the class, so we were together with her brother most of the time.”

“So you knew Edward too? Is that why you were dancing with him at the ball?” Ciel asked.

“Yes. I barely recognized him; he had grown so much since I last saw him.” Claire laughed.

“Interesting how Lizzie never mentioned you before,” Sebastian commented.

“Oh, she’s probably long forgotten about me. Though I’d love to meet her again sometime.” Claire smiled again, though it was sad. Ciel wondered why she seemed so down since she’d come to the Phantomhive mansion. Perhaps he would ask her at the masquerade.

The carriage came to a stop in front of a glowing dance hall. Even outside, Ciel could here the music played and the guests laughing and talking. Sebastian opened the door for the nobles again, letting Claire exit first. After both of them were out, they looked at each other. Ciel offered his hand to Claire, who smiled and took it. They turned to the open doors and made their way inside.


	22. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS TOOK ME WAY TOO LONG TO WRITE AND I'M SO SORRY JUST TAKE IT.

The music the band played was overpowering as Claire and Ciel stepped into the room. There was a constellation of people out on the dance floor, the bright and colorful skirts of the women contrasting greatly with the dark suits of the men. Each and every person had on a mask, some shaped like animals such as cats or birds, others had glittering gems and ribbons on them. Those who were not dancing where talking in groups, and the loud laughter could be heard above the music. Ciel could smell food from somewhere around the room, and after looking around a little bit, he saw a banquet table set up near the wall with large towers of pastries and various other foods and large pitchers of water or wine. 

“I’ve never been to a ball like this before...” Claire breathed. Ciel looked over at her and saw the absolute wonder in her eyes. He took her hand and led her over to the wall near a large bouquet of flowers to watch the dancers. While they watched, a few nobles walked over to them and began a light conversation with the duo. Ciel wasn’t as much in a chatting mood as Claire was, so he preferred to simply listen to them.

“You are very young to be such a prominent business owner, Lady Benoit,” said one of the women, a newly wed countess, “How on earth do you manage it?”

“I handle it the way I handle my foster children, with a gentle yet firm hand.” Claire replied, and the countess tittered a laugh in response, “Though my dear friend Earl Phantomhive is much younger than me and owns a company of the same fame and fortune.”

“That’s quite impressive!” the countess exclaimed, “How on earth do you manage it, Lord Phantomhive?”

Ciel started at his name and blushed from spacing out during the conversation. “Children like their toys, and who better to own a company dedicated to toys than a child himself?”

The countess gave him a wry smile. It was startling to see, since her face was all innocence and joy a minute before. “You have an arrogance about yourself that will either get you far or bring your downfall,” she tapped her fan on top of his head, “Watch your step, Earl Phantomhive.”

“Would you like to dance with me, Ciel?” Claire interrupted quickly, taking Ciel’s hand in hers. Ciel looked up at her, stunned, and she took that as a yes. “Do pardon us, Countess, it has been quite a long time since we’ve had a dance.”

Claire led the still very much stunned Ciel to the dance floor and away from the strange countess who watched them go. People parted for them as they made their way to the middle of the dance floor and stopped there.

“Thanks for that,” Ciel whispered as they got in position to dance. 

“It was nothing,” Claire shrugged, “That woman was strange, wasn’t she?”

“She was...”

Claire gave him a small smile. “Let’s just focus on this, shall we?”

The music started up again, a slow and graceful melody, a waltz. Claire and Ciel slowly began to dance in tune with the music, and that’s when Ciel realized- “Wait, I’m still not that good of a dancer-!”

Claire’s laugh cut him off, “Don’t worry about that. Just focus on the music, and move with me.”

Ciel listened to her. As she moved backwards, he moved forwards. He twirled her when he noticed all the other dancers doing the same. The entire time Claire kept her eyes on him, guiding him with the smallest of motions. A small squeeze of his hand when he needed to lift her, her head tilting slightly when they needed to move out of the way of another pair. 

“You’re doing very well,” she whispered to him in the middle of the dance.

“It’s still hard,” he muttered, trying not to step on her foot.

“Relax, Ciel, this is supposed to be a night of fun, remember?” She smiled, “Do you want to take a break?”

“Not until the end of the song,” he said. He was going to finish this dance if he could.

Claire’s smile widened as Ciel twirled and lifted her again. “That’s the spirit.”

As Ciel lowered her down, the band’s music slowly began to fade away as the song ended. The dancers all came to stop and clapped for the band. Claire and Ciel walked off back to where they were before so more dancers could join the floor. The countess had disappeared.

“Well, thank goodness she’s gone,” Claire laughed, “Would you like a drink, Ciel?”

“Just a glass of water, thank you,” Ciel replied.

“I’ll get you a macaroon too,” she winked at him as she walked through to crowd to the banquet table, “I’ll be back in just a minute!”

Ciel watched her go until she disappeared into the throng of people. He leaned against the wall to wait for her, but the place around him was starting to get crowded from the people who were taking a break. While he didn’t want Claire to think he left her, the moment a man nearly elbowed him in the face was when he realized he needed to move. Luckily, he spotted a balcony outside where no one else was, and Claire could easily spot him out there. 

He elbowed people out of his way as he made his way outside, and took a large gulp of cool night air when he arrived. The music was distant now, muffled by the windows, and the conversations people were having all melted into the background. It was quiet and peaceful out here. Ciel looked back at the ballroom one last time to see if Claire was somewhere he could see her, but when he didn’t, he turned and looked at the stars overhead.

‘It’s been a while since Claire went to get those drinks,’ he thought to himself, ‘Is she alright?’ Ciel was about to go inside when a chill ran down his spine. He had the oddest feeling he was being watched out here, but he couldn’t hear anything but the muffled music and the crickets chirping. But that feeling wouldn’t go away.

He slowly reached for the gun hidden under his jacket and unlatched the safety. The sound echoed off the walls off the mansion.

In a flurry of movement, a figure jumped from the room toward Ciel. He aimed and shot at them as soon as they came into sight, but the figure deflected the bullet off their sword. The figure tackled him, throwing them both over the edge of the balcony and down two stories to the ground below. Ciel landed harshly on his back and felt the air get knocked out of him. He lay there gasping for breath as the assailant slowly got up at well and coughed. Ciel looked over at the person, and he felt his heart ice over. Over the person’s features was a cold iron masked, shaped in the wings of a bird, the knife in her hand unmistakable familiar.

“How?” he gasped. The Queen’s Raven looked at him with wild, angry eyes.

Taking in the largest breath he could, Ciel screamed, “SEBASTIAN!!!!”

From back where he was sitting in the carriage, Sebastian heard him.

Just as the Raven was about to attack Ciel, Sebastian appeared above him. He locked his own blade with the Raven’s and shoved back against her. As she stumbled back, he took another knife and aimed for her face. Her eyes widened.

“Don’t!” Ciel yelled. Sebastian had a second to change his directory from the Raven’s eye to the corner of her mask. The sound of blade clashing with the hard iron echoed off the walls, and the Raven cried out. The mask shattered under Sebastian’s blow, falling through the air in small glittering pieces as the Raven fell.

“My Lord, are you alright?” Sebastian said, crouching near his master and helped him up.

“That fall is going to leave a bruise, but I’ll manage,” Ciel winced when Sebastian put his hand on his back. He glared at the Raven, whose face was covered with her arm. “Where is she? What did you do to Claire?”

The Raven groaned as she got up, and Ciel felt a shock trapeze up his spine. He knew that voice. He knew that voice all too well.

“She’s right here,” The Raven, no, Claire, growled, her grey eyes filled with hate.


	23. Chapter 22

For a minute, the whole world went silence as the two of them exchanged looks. Claire’s, whose gaze was as murderous as the time she found him in her mother’s room, and Ciel’s, a look of pure shock and betrayal that no one had ever seen on his face before, not even Sebastian. 

Time seemed to slow down for Ciel as he processed this information. Claire was the Queen’s Raven. She had been the Raven this entire time. All those months spent with each other, playing chess, reading and working in his office, even that time where they played the piano together, all of it was a complete lie. Just so she could get closer to him to make the kill.

A deep rage boiled inside of his stomach, turning his vision red. “Why?” He said so much with only that single word. Why did you do it? Why did you act so kind and gentle? Why did you spend all that time with me to betray me so? 

Why did you pretend to care?

“Because it’s my duty,” she hissed, “I was chosen to take on the role of the Raven and I do not disappoint Her Majesty.”

“Was any of that real? The fake Raven, the time at the staircase, the night I saw you playing the piano, was any of that real?” His voice rose with each word he said, and Claire’s eyes darkened when he mentioned that night.

She paused for a moment, only making Ciel angrier. “No,” though there was a false note in her voice, “It was all a facade to get you to trust me.”

Ciel started to reply but she continued, “You don’t understand what the Queen would do to me if I were to disobey her.” Claire rose to her feet and gripped the knife still in her hand tighter. “If I don’t kill you, she kills me. I’m expendable, a mere pawn in her game, and I can’t change that.”

That made Ciel hesitate. Of course the Queen had threatened Claire this way; she always had the threat of the Raven dangling above the nobles’ heads. If even the Raven’s loyalties have waned, she had her silenced soon enough. The anger inside him dwindled.

“Let’s make a deal,” he said, and Claire looked at him quizzically. “We duel. If you win, you may continue your mission and do away with me. If I win, you run. You escape the country and you hide from the Queen.”

“Young Master-” Sebastian started, but Ciel held up his hand, silencing the demon.

“Do not interfere, Sebastian. This is something I must do.”

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. 

Ciel stood up straighter. “Because I’m smart enough to see that it all wasn’t a facade.”

Claire’s eyes widened. In that one moment, he saw all of her. All her fears, her insecurities, everything she cared for. Everything she was fighting to keep safe, even if what she did was wrong. 

She was not truly the Raven, and she never was. 

Her expression hardened, but he could still see the hesitation in her eyes. Slowly, she pulled another sword out from under her cloak and tossed it at him. He caught it in his hand and unsheathed the blade. 

“I’m not going easy on you this time,” she said, holding up her own blade.

“Neither am I.” Ciel replied.

And the duel began once again.

Claire made the first move, speeding at Ciel so fast he barely had time to react. The amount of force she put behind her swing was enough to send the sword flying out of his hands, but he held on and their swords locked. He put all his strength into dislodging her blade from his, making her stumble slightly. Ciel used to opportunity to swing at her again, but she recklessly blocked him as she fell.

She kicked his legs out from under him and he landed on the ground next to her. She tried to make a jab at him, but he grabbed her arm and shoved her back. She rolled a few feet away and slowly got up again. He did as well. They stared at each other for a moment as they regained their breath, sizing each other up.

“You seem to have improved, Ciel.” Claire said, her voice hoarse.

“When you’re being hunted by a well-known murderer, you want to be ready.” He replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Ciel clashed his blade against Claire’s again, the sound echoing off the brick walls. She forced both of their sword into the dirt as they struggled to disarm each other. Ciel retracted his blade and aimed for her wrist, but she threw out a vicious backhand with her free hand. He cried out and stumbled back, his face stinging from the blow. Claire advanced on him. Every time he tried to swing at her, she blocked him easily. He moved back with every try until Claire kicked him to the ground.

Ciel groaned while he lay there. Claire stood over him with her sword at her side. There was a fierceness in her gaze that came with a battle, and the grip on her sword tightened.

Sebastian advanced as she brought her sword up over her head. Ciel closed his eyes, preparing for the final blow.

He could hear the sword come down on him and he flinched. But there was no pain to be felt.

Carefully, Ciel opened his eyes.

Claire was kneeing over him, the intense look still in her eyes, but the sword had frozen only centimeters above his chest. Sebastian was right behind her with his hand raised and eyes demonic pink, ready to strike. The three of them were frozen like that, waiting for what Claire would do next.

Slowly... Claire moved the sword away from Ciel’s chest and dropped it. It fell to the pavement with a resounding “clash” that broke the silence of the area. Ciel looked over at the fallen sword and back at Claire, her face unreadable.

Sebastian was the first to react. He grabbed both of Claire’s arms and pinned them behind her, not caring if he injured her in the process. She let him, and lowered her head so her bangs covered her face.

“Let her go, Sebastian,” Ciel ordered, surprisingly calm, and the demon stared him in shock.

“She nearly killed you-”

“That’s an order, Sebastian!” Ciel shouted. He let her go instantly, slinking back with a glare.

Claire didn’t move an inch as Ciel walked up to her. She kept her face hidden with her bangs. Carefully, he brushed them away. 

Her face was red from crying, a as she looked up at Ciel new tears welled up in her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry...” she whimpered, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry...” She kept repeating those words over and over as she cried. Ciel didn’t know what to do besides stare until she hugged him tightly. He froze for second before it registered in his mind he should hug her back. Claire flinched when he put his hand on her back, but Ciel felt her relax again after a moment.

“We need to get out of here,” Ciel whispered as he let go of her, “The Queen will know by morning what happened.” Gently, Claire nodded her head and gave him a weak smile. Ciel gave her a strained smile before turning to walk back to carriage.

“Ciel, wait, there’s something I want to tell you...” Claire began, and Ciel turned to look back at her.

Right as a shot rang out and the bullet pierced Claire’s back.

There was a heartbeat of a moment where time slowed. Ciel saw Claire’s eyes go wide with shock and pain as she fell forward. He saw Sebastian’s arm reach around her waist and catch her before she could hit the ground. And even with her black dress, he could see the blood beginning to seep through the fabric.

It felt like the air was getting sucked out of his lungs; he couldn’t breathe at all. In a blur he found himself at Claire’s side, his hands shaking while he looked at her. She looked so peaceful, as if she was only sleeping and not possibly dead. Sebastian was saying something, but all the sounds seemed to blur in Ciel’s head.

He only focused when he heard Sebastian say, “She’s still alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, we're getting into the ending off the story, so expect chapters to be published a bit more closely together than before. And I also kinda want to apologize for disappearing for a month then giving you the biggest reveal in the entire story, i'm so sorry. But not really ;P


	24. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOO READ THIS BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER
> 
> okay, so it gets a little intense at the beginning of the chapter, so i just wanted to put a warning here,and I'm also going to put the violence warning on the story too because... well, i did not expect myself to be able to write that
> 
> anyway, enjoy the chapter!! its a little bit longer than the rest of them ;P

Ciel’s head snapped up to look at Sebastian. The demon continued on, “Her pulse is faint, but it’s there. If we get her back to her mansion soon-”

“We need to go now,” he interrupted. Sebastian stood up carrying Claire’s small body in one arm and lifted Ciel up in his other. Sebastian took off in a sprint, quickly gaining speed until all Ciel could see was a blur of motion around them. His head spun as they came to sudden halt, right outside of the Benoit Mansion. They rushed towards the house and slammed open the doors with a loud bang that notified everyone in the hall to their presence.

The maid took one look at Claire unconscious in Sebastian’s arms, and screamed for the doctor. A few of the children scrambled up to them, crying and wailing for Claire to open her eyes. When the doctor and Miss Joyce arrived, they had to pry Aleksander off of her as Sebastian carried her back to her room. Ciel followed the entourage the entire way, watching from a distance as Sebastian set Claire down on her bed. 

Joyce ripped open the back of Claire’s dress and Ciel felt his whole body go numb with what he saw. Scars. Horrible, mangled scars covering her entire back from the back of her neck down in angry red marks, even more prominent with blood seeping through the ridges. This must have been what Joyce was talking about in her journals, the horrible attack that gave her these scars. Ciel watched as the doctor took out a bottle and poured some kind of alcohol over the bullet wound; that’s when Claire’s eyes shot open and she screamed. A horrifying, echoing sound that felt like razors to his ears and he covered them. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears, trying anything to block out the sound.

Her scream sounded so much like those of the children he was imprisoned with when he opened his eyes he was there again, sitting inside the cell and the stench of the blood overpowering. The masked man stood over the victim and with a twisted manic grin plunged the knife into Claire’s chest. This time he couldn’t tell if it was her or himself screaming. Crawling away from the sight, he scratched at his arms covered in Claire’s blood until they were raw. A voice called out to him, but the sound was lost in the mix of screams and people calling for help. Blackness blurred Ciel’s vision as he felt his head spin. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a pair of glowing pink eyes staring down at him. And then nothingness.

\---

Ciel’s head felt like it was splitting in two when he awoke. Everything was foggy in his vision as he opened his eyes, and he quickly shut them against the bright light shining through the window. The events from last night came back full-force and he shot up from the bed. He jerked back when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Sebastian was sitting beside the bed, frozen mid-stand with startled eyes. He relaxed again and gently pushed Ciel back down to the pillows, saying, “You’re finally awake.”

“How long was I out?” 

“About a day. The events of the night before took quite a toll on your body.”

“And Claire?” Ciel asked cautiously. Sebastian stared at him for a moment and he felt dread creeping up his spine.

“The wound was deep, but the doctor miraculously got the bullet out. Another miracle was that it pierced none of her organs, and just missed her spine by a centimeter.”

Ciel breathed out a sigh in relief. But a new suspicion entered his mind and he asked, “Is she awake?”

“No, Young Master.”

“Do they know when she will wake up?”

Sebastian hesitated this time. “... No. She’s been unresponsive since they performed the surgery.”

Ciel squeezed his eyes shut. He had just gotten her back again and then she was gone. Trapped in a sleep she might never wake up from. But unlike the children’s tales she used to read to her orphans, there was no magic to save her now.

He began to sit up again and Sebastian moved to ease him back down. But the glare Ciel gave him was enough to stop him in his tracks. Ciel tossed the covers carelessly off of himself and stood. He was still wearing the clothes from last night, so instantly he was moving out the door and down the corridor. Sebastian followed after him.

“My lord, you still need to eat-”

“Shut up,” Ciel hissed at him as he walked, and the demon pursed his lips. In a few short minutes he was outside of Claire’s room and heard the voices inside. He didn’t care to recognize them first before he opened the door and stormed inside. 

Joyce, Liesel, and the doctor from before were all sitting besides Claire’s bed, blocking Ciel’s view of her. Joyce’s mouth was still open mid-conversation as she and the doctor of them turned to stare at him. He probably looked like a complete mess, but he ignored them as he made his way to the other side the bed and finally saw Claire.

The steady rise and fall of her chest was the only visible sign of life in her. Her skin was pale as death, eyes closed and body perfectly still. Her black curls were spread out on the soft pillow, framed her face neatly. She looked like the princess of a fairytale, the sleeping beauty cursed to an eternal slumber. Ciel knelt beside her. Even her hands were cold in his own.

“I don’t know if you can hear me... But if you can, please wake up, Claire.”

Claire remained silent, no reaction to his words. He looked down at the hand he was holding. The diamond she always wore was not there, and he looked around. He saw it sitting on the nightstand beside her bed and picked it up.

“This was your mother’s ring, wasn’t it? You used to twist it around your finger whenever you were nervous, or while you were reading one of the books in my office. Do you remember that, Claire?” Carefully, he slipped the ring back onto her finger and curled his hand over hers. “Do you remember the time we played the piano together a few weeks ago? You made my horrible lullaby sound beautiful with your piano playing. Don’t you want to play the piano again?”

Ciel looked over at Liesel, who had silent tears falling down her cheeks. “Liesel’s here waiting for you too. I’m sure all the children are waiting for you to wake up. You want to see Liesel again, don’t you?”

He leaned in closer to Claire’s face. “All you have to do is open your eyes, Claire. Just open your eyes, and everything will be back to the way it was. You don’t have to be the Raven anymore; we’ll see to that. You can stay here and take care of kids. You can read, or play the piano, or go to as many balls as you want to. We could visit each other sometimes when we’re not too busy. You could see Lizzy again; I’m sure she misses you. Don’t you want that?”

Again, there was no response from Claire. He waited... and waited... but nothing. Slowly, he released her hand and stood. What he said before passed through his mind: ‘You don’t have to be the Raven anymore; we’ll see to that.’

Realization crept into his brain and he balled his hands up into fists. He knew exactly who had shot Claire, or at least, who ordered she be shot.

Before anyone had time to react, he was out of the room and sprinting down the corridor.

\---

The loud clap of two sets of shoes storming down the stone floor echoed off the walls of the vast hallway as two figures stormed down the expensive carpet. They came to a halt when two guards held out their spears in front of the doors to the Queen’s sitting room, but the taller figure easily shoved them aside just like he did to the guard stationed outside the palace and opened the door for the shorter one.

“I always knew the crown would do whatever it takes to stay in power, but this is an all time low for you, My Queen.” Ciel hissed as he stormed into the room. Victoria didn’t even acknowledge him, only continuing to write on a piece of parchment while Charles Grey stood beside her. The white-haired guard gave them a coy grin which made Ciel’s blood boil.

The queen finished writing and set her pen down. “You may go now, Charles.” Charles picked up the piece of parchment and bowed quickly to Victoria before walking past Ciel and Sebastian.

Ciel slowly walked up to her, trying to contain his anger. “Are you going to admit to your crimes, my Queen, or do I have to say it?”

“Do tell, Earl Phantomhive,” she smiled innocently at him as she picked up her tea and twirled the spoon around.

“You ordered one of your men to shoot Lady Claire Benoit, or should I say, the Queen’s Raven?” Ciel paused a small moment to relish in the new strain in the Queen’s smile. “Oh yes, I know very well you sent her after me. Just like how you were going to frame me for Georg’s murder. As a punishment, only this time it was a lethal one.”

The Queen’s smile had disappeared by the time he was done talking. The stirring had stopped also. “You have no prove of this.”

Ciel’s laugh was cold as he slammed his hands on the table. “Oh, but I do. She’s comatose in her mansion right now, but when she wakes up, I’ll bet she has enough filth on you to taint your name for generations.”

The Queen stood abruptly, her face turning red from anger. “I don’t particularly like this new attitude of yours, Earl Phantomhive.”

“If you keep harming those close to me, you’ll see a hell of a lot more of it, I assure you.” Ciel growled, keeping his head held high. “So you choose: Claire is no longer the Raven, or every one of your darkest secrets is published in the papers by tomorrow morning.”

Victoria’s glare was unlike any other Ciel had ever seen, but he did not back down. Instead, the glare he gave her matched her own. 

Slowly, the Queen lowered herself back into her chair. “Claire’s title as the Raven will be revoked as soon as she is well enough to sign the papers. We can only hope the little sparrow will wake soon.” A surge of triumph burst through Ciel’s chest. He’d done it. Claire would be so happy when he told her the news. 

He couldn’t hide the proud smirk on his face as he and Sebastian walked back down the hall to the carriage outside. Sebastian glanced at him through the corner of his eye and even he couldn’t stop his lips from curling up into a grin. 

“That went very well, don’t you think?” Sebastian said coyly.

“Oh yes, I think it went perfectly.” Ciel replied.

They both turned quickly when they heard footsteps chasing down the hall after him. One of the guards was rushing towards them, and Sebastian shifted into a stance to fight him.

“Whoa-Whoa, I’m not here to fight you!” the man stuttered out quickly, “There’s a phone call for you down in the parlor. It’s from the Benoit mansion-” Before he could even finish his sentence, Ciel and Sebastian were rushing back down the hallway towards the parlor again. The Queen was gone when they arrived, but the maid holding the phone jumped when they entered.

Ciel ripped the phone out of her hands and put it to his ear, “Who is it?”

“Miss Joyce,” came the crackling reply, “Claire’s awake.”

Ciel nearly dropped the phone; he was so shocked. Joyce continued rambling, “She woke up only a few minutes after you left, but you were already gone and there was nothing we could do. And it took forever for the phone company to wire us through to the palace but she’s awake! Claire’s awake!!” Ciel could hear her sobbing in relief on the other ending of the line.

“We’ll be back as soon as possible.” Ciel said hurriedly, and fumbled to put the phone back in its holder. He looked over and Sebastian and somehow the demon understood. Both of them raced down the hall and practically jumped into the carriage when they got outside.

“Get us to the Benoit mansion as quickly as possible!” Sebastian yelled at the driver, and they took off.


	25. Chapter 24

It felt like ages had passed by the time they arrived back at the Benoit Mansion. Ciel didn’t even wait for the Sebastian to open the door for him; he just slammed open the door himself. Lucille and Edmund were waiting for him at the front door, and they briskly walked with him into the mansion.

“She’s still in her room right now, and she’s been asking for you,” Lucille said as she walked.

“Thank you, Lucille,” Ciel said, waving her away as they got closer to Claire’s room. Quietly, he opened the door so she wouldn’t be disturbed.

Claire was sitting upright at the edge of her bed, her back facing Ciel. “I’m fine, Miss Joyce. I can stand on my own...” Her voice was weak, but it was there. Relief flooded through Ciel’s chest.

“Lady Claire, I insist you rest... more...” Joyce’s sentence trailed off as she noticed Ciel standing by the door. Claire saw her looking over her shoulder and turned.

Claire’s eyes widened while she took him in. Tangled, messy hair, his clothes wrinkled, but the light in his eyes was too great to ignore. Slowly, she stood up, not saying a word. On shaking legs she began to walk to him. When she stumbled, Ciel quickly caught her by her arms, and she looked up at him. A smile broke out over her features and she embraced him. This time, it didn’t take long for him to embrace her back, and she let out a happy sob.

“You’re okay...” she whispered, and Ciel let out a soft laugh.

“I’m okay? You were the one that got shot.” She laughed this time.

“Occupational hazard,” She smiled up at him.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that occupational hazard anymore,” when Claire’s expression turned confused, he continued, “That’s why I left before you woke up. The Queen says you no longer have to be the Raven.”

Claire stared at him for a heartbeat. Two. Three. Then she let a sob as tears began streaming down her face. Ciel panicked, “D-Don’t cry; I thought you didn’t-”

Ciel’s words caught in his throat as Claire shook her head. “I’m not sad, Ciel. I’m happy!”

He paused. “Oh thank god,” he said as he pulled Claire into another hug. She laughed.

“Lady Claire,” Miss Joyce interrupted, and Ciel and Claire broke apart again, “You really must get back to bed. Your wound...”

Claire hesitated, looking back at him. He said, “She’s right, Claire. You need time to heal.”

“But the Queen’s document-” she started.

“-can wait until tomorrow,” Ciel finished for her. Reluctantly, Claire let Ciel lead her back to the bed and sit her down. “For now, you should rest.” He wiped a stray tear away from her cheek as she laid her head on the pillow. Her eyes fluttered shut, and within a few moments her breathing slowed and evened out.

Ciel tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear before standing straight again and walking to the door. Sebastian was still waiting out in the hall.

“What a touching scene,” Sebastian commented as soon as Ciel closed the door. “I never knew you had such compassion, My Lord.”

Ciel glowered at him. “Everyone has a light and a dark side.”

The demon smirked. “And your light side just happens to be the rarest thing seen in the world?”

He made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat and crossed his arms. Leaning up against the wall, he said, “What’s really rare - what you could call a miracle even - is a girl with a past so dark coming out with light still blazing.”

“I take it you are referring to our Lady Benoit?”

“Of course I am,” Ciel ran a hand through his hair, “How did she manage to do it? I remember reading in one of the books on the Raven that the most recent Raven had been doing it for four years. Four, Sebastian.”

“That would’ve made her twelve when she started,” Sebastian replied, his brow furrowing.

“Exactly. How did she manage to be able to handle the job she had when you think about what kind of person she’s like today...?” Ciel’s sentence trailed off as his thoughts shifted. Both of them had equally torturous history. And to look at their outcomes... Claire chose the light path, the one that would ultimately lead to a happy life with those she loves; Ciel chose the dark, which would only end with him giving up his soul and leaving behind those who care about him. If Claire could choose the light path, then why couldn’t...

Ciel looked up at Sebastian, whose expression had darkened, yet his eyes were faintly glowing. “You aren’t having second thoughts about our contract again, are you, My Lord?”

An image of what had happened at Germany flashed through his mind. The inky black tendrils crawling up his legs and arms until he was completely encased in darkness... Sebastian had really tried to eat him at that point. 

He stood a bit straighter as he said. “No, I will have my revenge on those who have wronged me. And in the end, you will have my soul.”

Sebastian leaned back again; Ciel had only just realized he was moving closer. The demon nodded slowly and Ciel glowered at him. Still watching Sebastian carefully, he turned and began walking down the hall back to his room.

\---

Claire slowly opened her grey eyes, looking up at the dark ceiling. It was night sometime, the full moon hanging high amongst the stars. ‘I must have slept the whole day,’ she thought to herself as she sat up in her bed. Pulling her feet over the edge, she got up and walked over to the window. A cool breeze filtered in as she opened it.

“I’m no longer the Raven,” she said randomly, trying out the words. It felt weird to say them. After four years of continuously murdering people, some she didn’t even believe did anything wrong, she was finally free. It was as if a huge weight had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders, the chains of servitude around her wrists and ankles broken.

Claire looked down at the ring on her finger. She remembered feeling Ciel slip the ring on her finger while she was comatose, and every word he said to her. It was those words that brought her out of her coma. But she had woken up too late to see him until he returned. She had been tempted to go to the phone herself, but Joyce insisted she stay in bed for the duration of the morning.

The amount of relief she felt when she saw Ciel again was overwhelming.

And then he told her she wouldn’t be the Raven anymore.

Claire looked back up at the moon as new tears filled her eyes.

“I’m no longer the Raven.”


	26. Chapter 25

The next week Claire was ready to sign the document.

Of course, she hadn’t fully healed yet, but her insistent nagging that she wanted it over and done with was getting too annoying to ignore. Sebastian had to carry her back to her room one time when she tried to sneak out to the palace herself (the children helped, of course). Ciel finally gave in on Thursday, and right then he was waiting for her to finish getting ready in the parlor.

“Always the same thing every day,” he muttered sarcastically, “’Can we go today? How about tomorrow? Please, Ciel, I want to sign the damn papers already!’ Aghh!!” He threw up his hands and sunk lower into the couch.

“It’s amazing your patience has lasted this long,” Sebastian replied with a wry smirk on his face.

“You’re telling me,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. The earl looked up at the clock and continued, “Why does it always take her so long to get ready?!”

“She did just get shot recently, My Lord,” the butler commented. 

“Yeah, why don’t you give me a break, sometime, Ciel?” A muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Lucille held the door open as Claire walked into the room on her crutch. Ciel had to do a double-take he was so shocked at how different Claire looked. 

For once, she wasn’t wearing a dark dress. Her dress was pastel green with floral patterns on the skirt, with delicate lace around the neckline and skirt. The sleeves were short, and a pink ribbon was tied around her waist. Her hair was tied up into a bun again like the night at the ball, but this time she had a hairband with more lace and flowers on it. It gave her a much more cheerful look all over.

Claire blinked at his shocked expression and looked down at herself. She laughed and said, “I guess you’ve never seen me look this... girly.”

“It’s a big difference compared to your usual... dark-and-mysterious style.” She let out a rather unladylike snort, but her expression quickly changed to sober.

“Sebastian, Lucille, could we have a moment in private?” She asked. The butler and maid gave her a confused expression, but they exited the room and closed the door behind them anyway.

As soon as the door was shut, Claire turned back to Ciel. There was a short pause before she spoke, “There was something I wanted to tell you, before I....” She hesitated, but lifted her chin. “I know what Sebastian is.”

Ciel gave her a suspicious glance. “What do you mean?”

“I know that he’s a demon.” His heart sank into his stomach.

“How?”

Claire’s smile was wry as she said, “Do you think you are the only noble to make a contract with a demon?”

When Ciel didn’t answer, she continued, “I’ve run into many nobles who use demons to move up in ranks, or to gain more wealth. But you... you already have plenty of wealth and power as a Phantomhive. And Sebastian... he is different than others. Much more... Patient, calculating. Most of the demons I’ve ever met let me kill their masters so they can take their souls sooner, but Sebastian...” Her eyes were cold grey as she said, “He’s waiting for something.”

The hairs on the back of Ciel’s neck rose. Swallowing hard, he asked, “What do you think that is?”

“I don’t know, but please... be careful, Ciel.” She brought up her free hand to cup his cheek, a worried expression on her face. “I already know I cannot turn you from the path that you are on. I can only hope that you stay safe on that path, for it is a difficult one.”

Cautiously, she moved her hand away from his cheek and towards the string of his eye patch. Ciel grabbed her hand before she could tug on it. Her eyes flickered. But slowly, he moved her hand away and untied it himself, revealing his bright purple eye, glowing faintly with the contract symbol. Claire stared at it, her face unreadable. The room was silent as Ciel waited for her to say anything. 

“Beautiful...” She whispered, her voice full of sorrow. “Yet it will only bring pain. Be careful, Ciel.”

Slowly, he nodded.

She retracted her hand from his cheek and smiled, as if that whole conversation didn’t happen. Her voice was light as she said, “We should go now. Sebastian will be waiting.” 

“... Yes,” was the only thing he said as he walked over to the door and opened it for her. Claire thanked him as she walked through and quietly, he closed it behind him.

Pretty much the whole carriage ride to the palace was filled with nervous energy coming from Claire. From twirling the ring around her finger to bouncing her need, she was trying anything to get rid of her nerves. Though she wasn’t the only one nervous. Twice Ciel had to tell her stop tugging on his sleeve and twice Claire had to tell Ciel that his constant tapping on the armrest was bothering. Sebastian just watched the both of them with an amused expression on his face as they bickered. ‘Humans,’ he thought to himself.

He helped both of nobles out of the carriage as they pulled up to the Queen’s Palace. Slowly but surly, they walked to the room where the Queen was waiting. Before Sebastian opened the door, Claire held out her hand to stop him.

“Wait,” she said, and she turned to Ciel, “Ciel, would you escort me in?”

After a moment, Ciel nodded his head. As he linked his arm with hers, she handed her crutch to Sebastian and stood straight. Her grip on his arm was tight as they slowly walked into the room.

Her Majesty was sitting in the her seat at the table as usual, but she stood as soon as she saw Claire. While the Queen gave her a warm smile, Claire’s expression turned cold as she and Ciel bowed to her. 

“It has been a while, Little Sparrow,” Victoria said.

“Yes it has,” Claire replied coldly, “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to just get to the point, Your Majesty.”

The Queen gave her a strained smile and motioned to the paper sitting on her desk, “Of course, of course.”

With Ciel’s help, Claire sat down in the chair and grabbed the pen sitting next to the document. They both read over the cursive text carefully, checking for any way the Queen might try to double-cross her, but thankfully there was none. At the end of the document, there was one sentence: “Lady Claire Benoit is hereby and forevermore revoked of her duties as the Queen’s Raven.”

Claire signed it quickly and put the pen back down on the table.

A servant came over and folded the document. He dipped a bit of red wax onto the fold and the Queen placed her seal in it. Both Claire and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief as he picked it up and walked out of the room with it.

“An official proclamation will be made tomorrow saying that the Raven was killed during the skirmish with Earl Phantomhive at the masquerade ball.” Victoria said, and Claire nodded slowly. She stood up and Ciel took her arm again.

“Your Majesty,” Claire said as she turned back to her. There was a short pause before she said, “...Thank you.”

Victoria smiled at them as they exited the room. Claire took back her crutch as soon as they were out of the room. She let out a shaky laugh and whispered, “Damn, that was tense.”

“Incredibly.” Sebastian replied.

“The time when we thought the Raven had sneaked into the house wasn’t half as tense as just now,” Ciel commented, “Who was the Raven that day?”

“Hmm? Oh, that was Lucille. She faked being knocked out in the garden to change into the Raven’s costume and attack us.” Claire laughed at the memory, “She did not go easy on me that day.”

“I remember well,” Ciel smirked as he helped Claire step back into the carriage.

As soon as everyone was in, he looked over at Claire. “So... what happens now?”

“We go back to our normal lives, I guess. You go back to your job as the Watchdog, and I now run the Benoit factories full-time.”

“Will we ever see each other again?” Ciel asked, and Claire’s eyes glinted in the dim light.

“I wouldn’t doubt it, Ciel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry guys this isn't the end. There's still an epilogue! :3


	27. Epilogue

Ciel was restless that night, not being able to get even a wink of sleep. He tried to convince himself that Claire was perfectly fine, but the worry that something bad would happen to her again kept creeping back into his mind. After he finally got bored of staring at the ceiling in the dark, he slipped out of the bed and walked over to the window and opened it. He leaned on the windowsill as a cool breeze filtered into the room. 

The rustling of leaves and sound of crickets chirping was calming as Ciel looked up at the stars in the sky. He began to think about what Claire said about Sebastian early. He was... waiting for something. Uneasiness crept up his spine as he imagined what it could be that the demon was waiting for. Was it for his soul to be perfectly ripe? To be at the pinnacle of despair so that he’d get the most satisfactory meal in his lifetime? This was probably the most likely answer, and that unnerved him even more. What lengths would Sebastian go to in order to achieve this? 

His attention was taken away from his thoughts when he noticed something out in the gardens. Walking amongst the bushes, he thought he saw those oh-so-familiar black curls shining in the moonlight. “Claire,” he whispered, then said louder as he stood up, “Claire?!”

The figure didn’t seem to notice him and disappeared behind one of the rose bushes. Gripping the windowsill he waited to see if she would come back on the other side. When she didn’t he turned to go outside and nearly screamed at what he saw.

Claire was sitting at the edge of his bed, looking at him with a curious gaze. She gave him an almost shy smile when he saw her.

“How on earth did you get in here?” Ciel said as soon as he regained his composure.

“I have my ways,” Her grin widened as she stood up. “Can’t sleep I take it?”

“No, not really.” He replied.

Her eyes were downcast. “Me too.”

Ciel’s brow furrowed as he looked at her. “Are you alright?”

She seemed to hesitate for a second, opening her mouth then closing it again. One heartbeat later, she said, “I’m going to be leaving the country for a while, Ciel. I’m going back to France.”

Ciel let the worried knot in his stomach unravel just a little. “How long are you going to be gone?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied, “But I just wanted to say goodbye before I left in the morning.”

Ciel blinked at her. “You didn’t have to break into my house to tell me this, Claire.”

She snorted and grinned at him. “You know my flamboyant nature.”

“All too well.” He said as he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back.

“I’m going to miss you, you know.” She whispered.

“I know, and I’ll miss you too. Try to write once in a while during your trip.”

“I will.”

They let go of each other at the same time and Claire smiled at him again. “I should really be going now... Joyce is probably frantic looking for me now.”

“Well, then it’s time for you to go.” Ciel followed her as she walked over to the window and jumped onto the ledge. “Goodbye, Claire.”

She turned to look at him one last time and grinned mischievously. “Goodbye, Ciel.”

And in one fell swoop, she disappeared over the edge. When Ciel looked to see if she had landed, she was nowhere in sight. He wasn’t worried, and as he walked back to his bed to finally get some rest, there was only one thought in his mind.

‘She’ll be back.’

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COMING SOON... 

The Book of Pawns: Short Stories  
(this’ll probably be out by next week so don’t worry lol)  
A collection of stories about life at the Benoit Mansion, some deleted scenes from the Book of Pawns, trivia about the characters, and something like the Shakespeare episode in the Kuroshitsuji OVA.

AND ALSO...

Kuroshitsuji: The Book of Queens  
(this is probably going to be completed over the summer)  
Sebastian, Ciel, and Claire are all back in the next and final installment of the Book of Chess duo. There’s crime afoot in London, and all four murders are linked with Ciel! In order to find the culprit of these horrendous crimes, one can only count on this trio to solve the case!

And if you want regular updates on how the Book of Queens is coming along, sneak peeks at chapter, and fan art and such, follow the official tumblr page: book-of-pawns.tumblr.com


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